- Date
- September 28, 1994, 19:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- East Moriches, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured; on the ground: 1 serious
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5112ECessna 180B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 26, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940928038039A
- Case key
- 38836
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 failure of the pedestrian to stay clear of the active runway. A factor was night conditions.
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
According to the pilot, he was on a night flight, and he was just about to lift off on his takeoff run when an object appeared to the right of the nose of the aircraft. He then applied maximum back pressure to avoid the object. He felt a thud on the underside of the aircraft. The pilot concentrated on keeping the aircraft airborne. He checked flight controls, all checked out. He then flew around the airport to check but did not see anything on the runway surface for the object, seeing nothing he proceeded on to the destination. Upon arrival he was notified that it was a pedestrian he had struck.
Factual narrative
On September 28, 1994, at 1945 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 180B airplane, a personal flight, struck and seriously injured a pedestrian during takeoff on runway 01, at Spadaro Airport, East Moriches, New York. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was not damaged. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and no flight plan was filed. The destination of the flight was Islip, New York. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, "Just prior to lift off an object appeared just right of the nose of the aircraft. At that point I applied maximum back pressure to the yoke in an attempt to clear the object. As the aircraft began to lift off I heard a loud thud come from the underside of the aircraft."
The pilot reported he continued his flight to Islip Airport and landed without further incident. He stated that upon landing he felt a slight vibration. During post flight examination he noticed the bottom, and right forward fuselage skin was wrinkled. At this time he was notified that the object on the runway was a person.
According to the pilot the airport is not equipped with runway lighting.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5112E
- Reported as
- Cessna 180B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18050412
- Airframe hours
- 1,484
- Engine
- Continental O-470-K, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Frederick B. Spadaro
- Registered owner
- Vincent Landolfi
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1994 · 8 hours before
- Destination
- ISP · Islip, NY
- Airport
- 1N2 · Spadaro Airport, runway 1, 2,100 × 25 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,662 total · 185 in this make and model · 6,280 as pilot in command · 69 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
- Observed at
- FOK
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5112E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.