- Date
- June 10, 1983, 21:40 local (Jun 11, 1983, 01:40 UTC)
- Place
- Trenton, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N15SBPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830610027469A
- Case key
- 35100
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft collided with a railroad bridge overpass during a forced landing after fuel exhaustion. The flt departed NC fornj with an enroute stop to drop off a passenger. The pilot was unable to refuel at this stop as planned and departed andoverflew other sighted arpts because he could not make contact on UNICOM. Mcquire approach control gave the pilot the vector of 288 degrees for the Trenton-robbinsville arpt. During this time the right fuel tank ran dry and the pilot switched tanks to continue flt. When Trenton-robbinsville could not be raised on UNICOM the pilot continued on the 288 degree heading until fuel exhaustion. He declared an emergency and was vectored to 110 degrees for the nearest arpt. Thepilot could not reach this arpt and crashed on a railroad bridge attempting to land on a 4 lane hiway. An on scene investigation confirmed the state of fuel exhaustion. The acft departed with 50 gallons and flew 4.1 hours. Fuel burn IS12 gph.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15SB
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-1283
- Airframe hours
- 2,768
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James P. Maney
- Registered owner
- J & S Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 1983
- Departed
- A-36 · Manahawkin, NJ
- Destination
- Toms River, NJ
- Airport
- N-87 · Trenton-Robbinsville
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 291 total · 11 in this make and model · 2,179 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TTN, 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.