- Date
- July 4, 2004, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Brighton Beach, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6550FCessna 182Q
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-15
- FAA report
- 20040704022409A
- Case key
- 59548
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power during cruise flight for undetermined reasons.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane was towing a banner approximately 300 feet above the water. The engine began to run rough, vibrate, and there was a decrease in oil pressure. The pilot released the banner and attempted to divert to an airport. The pilot also attempted to correct the rough running engine. However, the engine continued to run rough, and the pilot was unable to maintain altitude. He subsequently ditched the airplane and exited before it sank. The airplane was recovered, but the engine was not located.
Factual narrative
On July 4, 2004, about 1600 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182Q, N6550F, was substantially damaged while ditching, following a partial loss of engine power near Brighton Beach, New York. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed Lakewood Airport, Lakewood, New Jersey; destined for Francis S Gabreski Airport, Westhampton Beach, New York. No flight plan was filed for the commercial banner tow flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot reported that he was towing a banner approximately 300 feet above the water near the shore. The airplane engine began to run rough, vibrate, and the pilot noticed a decrease in oil pressure. The pilot then released the banner and attempted to fly to Floyd Bennett Field. He turned the carburetor heat on, and positioned the throttle, mixture, and propeller levers full forward. The pilot also moved the fuel selector from "BOTH" to "LEFT," and "RIGHT," and back to "BOTH." However, the engine continued to run rough. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude, and ditched in Jamaica Bay. Following the ditching, the pilot exited the airplane before it sank. The pilot further stated that he did not attempt a landing on the beach because it was heavily populated. The pilot believed the loss of engine power was related to the mechanical vibration within the engine.
The airplane had accumulated approximately 30 hours of operation, since the last annual inspection performed on January 6, 2004.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the airplane was recovered, but the engine was not located.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6550F
- Reported as
- Cessna 182Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18265953
- Airframe hours
- 3,389
- Engine
- Continental O-470-U, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aerial Sign Company Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 6, 2004 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- N12 · Lakewood, NJ
- Destination
- FOK · Westhampton, NY
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- October 31, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 400 total · 15 in this make and model · 300 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 15 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- JFK, 5 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.