- Date
- August 7, 1991, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wawayanda, NY
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N44289Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910807032599A
- Case key
- 36806
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 started a spin maneuver at too low an altitude to allow recovery. A factor in the accident was scattered clouds at 2500 feel MSL.
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 seen by several witnesses at a low altitude, descending in a spin and impacted the ground in an open field. Visibility at the time of the accident was about 30 miles, however, there were scattered clouds at 2500 feet MSL and the elevation at the crash was approximately 350 feet MSL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44289
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7425400
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Century Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Century Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 2, 1991 · 86 hours before
- Departed
- MMU · Morristown, NJ
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
- 29
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,502 total · 2,739 as pilot in command · 185 in the last 90 days · 55 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Observed at
- SWF, 14 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.