- Date
- July 24, 1994, 20:53 local (Jul 25, 1994, 00:53 UTC)
- Place
- Lumberton, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N40996Piper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report January 26, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940724019119A
- Case key
- 38798
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 (1) improper recovery from a bounced landing and (2) failure to maintain directional control during an aborted landing. A factor is the pilot's improper landing flare.
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 completed a circling approach to runway 01. During the touchdown, the airplane bounced three times. The pilot elected to abort the landing and applied full power. The airplane veered to the left and struck trees. The FAA inspector stated in his report, 'pilot lost control of aircraft when applying full power while recovering from last bounce. [He] attempted a go-around. [The] aircraft banked steeply to left and impacted trees.'
Factual narrative
On Sunday, July 24, 1994, at 2053 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200T, N40996, registered to Thomas L. Bradley, and piloted by Gregory T. Fossum, was destroyed at the Flying "W" Airport, Lumberton, New Jersey. The pilot was seriously injured; one passenger received minor injuries; and a second passenger was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The airplane departed Milwaukee, Wisconsin, destined for New Jersey. Upon arrival, the pilot was provided vectors to the airport. When the runway was in sight, he conducted a visual, circling approach to runway 01. In his report, he stated, "[I] circled to 01 at...100 mph. [I] attempted a landing [and] bounced three times. [I applied] full throttle and attempted a go-around. [The] plane veered to the left into trees."
Mr. Robert V. Drapala, a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, stated in his report, "Pilot lost control of aircraft when applying full power while recovering from last bounce for an attempted go-around. Aircraft banked steeply to left and impacted trees."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40996
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7570175
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-E, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Thomas L. Bradley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MKE · Milwaukee, WI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- N14 · Flying W, runway 1, 3,496 × 60 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 304 total · 42 in this make and model · 259 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Observed at
- WRI, 11 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.