- Date
- March 30, 2005, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Sussex, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9235JPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 7, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20050330004549A
- Case key
- 61230
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
The pilot's failure to insure adequate obstacle clearance while conducting a practice forced landing approach, and the flight instructor's failure to take remedial action, which resulted in an in-flight collision with wires.
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 pilot\owner was executing a practice forced landing to a runway, with a flight instructor in the right seat. During the landing, the right main landing gear contacted the top wire of a set of wires approximately 30 feet high, and 200 feet short of the approach end of the runway. The right wing dropped, and the pilot applied full left rudder and power. The engine responded, but the airplane impacted the runway. The pilot had the warning balls on the wires insight, but did not realize there was an additional wire 4 to 6 feet higher.
Factual narrative
On March 30, 2005, about 1445 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N9235J, was substantially damaged while executing a practice forced landing to the Sussex Airport (FWN), Sussex, New Jersey. The certificated flight instructor, and certificated private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight. No flight plan had been filed, and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot\owner, he was executing a practice forced landing to runway 3 at the Sussex Airport, with a flight instructor in the right seat. During the landing, the right main landing gear contacted the top wire of a set of wires approximately 30 feet high, and 200 feet short of the approach end of the runway. The right wing dropped, and the pilot applied full left rudder and power. The engine responded, but the airplane impacted the runway. The pilot added that he had the warning balls in sight, but did not realize there was an additional wire 4 to 6 feet higher.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9235J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 283308
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bruce Gregory
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- FWN · Sussex, NJ
- Destination
- FWN
- Airport
- FWN · Sussex, runway 3, 3,499 × 75 ft, asphalt
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 92
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 6,101 in this make and model
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 380 total · 380 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- FWN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9235J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.