- Date
- August 27, 1985, 20:30 local (Aug 28, 1985, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Wrightstown, NJ
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N90342Smith, Ted Aerostar Aerostar 601P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850827073829A
- Case key
- 35958
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
During an enroute climb the pilot noticed a manifold pressure loss on the left engine. Oil pressure and temp gauges went off and the left engine was secured by the piilot. During shutdown a passenger informed the pilot that the left wing was turning brown. Pilot made rapid descent and emergency landing at air force base. Inspection revealed that tailpipe had broken and rotated out of relative position allowing hot exhaust gas to start fire in engine compartment. Fire was progressing aft toward main wing spar. There have been twelve similar occurrences reported on this tailpipe assembly to date.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90342
- Reported as
- Smith, Ted Aerostar Aerostar 601P (AEROSTAR 6)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 61P0209-020
- Airframe hours
- 1,514
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-S1A5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Shoreman Food Technologies
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 11, 1985 · 116 hours before
- Departed
- TEB · Teterboro, NJ
- Destination
- N92 · Middletown, DE
- Airport
- WRI · Mcguire Afb, runway 18, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 274 in this make and model · 3,590 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 225° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.