- Date
- March 28, 1993, 16:32 local (21:32 UTC)
- Place
- Elmwood Park, NJ
- Injuries
- 6 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6382YPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930328007069A
- Case key
- 37238
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
Inadequate maintenance and inspection of the fuel injector system resulting in a loss of power of the left engine, and the failure of the pilot to maintain minimum control speed which resulted in a flat spin. A factor which contributed to the accident was the pilot loading the airplane over the maximum gross weight and beyond the aft center of gravity limit, thus raising the minimum control speed.
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 instrument climb-out from teterboro airport, the pilot was advised by departure control that he was in radar contact, and to climb & maintain 4000 ft. the pilot acknowledged this transmission at a radar recorded altitude of 1800 ft MSL. The flight was recorded reaching an altitude of 2800 ft MSL before starting a descent. Numerous witnesses observed the airplane descending out of the clouds; one witness described the descent as a spin with no forward motion. On-scene wreckage examination of the left prop showed one blade bent aft aprx 120 deg; other blade straight & not bent. Prop was not in feathered position. Left eng teardown revealed 2 of 6 fuel injector nozzles restricted. Last documented fuel injection system cleaning was in 1985; bendix (manufacturer) recommends every annual inspection or 100 hrs. The airplane was 188 lbs over max gross weight; CG aprx 1 inch aft of max aft limit. Aft CG increases VMC airspeed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6382Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-3666
- Airframe hours
- 3,295
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Alan B. Fleischman
- Registered owner
- Alan B. Fleischman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 1992 · 49 hours before
- Departed
- TEB · Teterboro, NJ
- Destination
- AGC · Pittsburgh, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total · 400 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 80° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TEB, 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.