Piper PA-32-260 N3604W

Summary

On 25 March 1997 at about 00:30 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N3604W, operated by Walter C Corocco, was involved in an accident near Lincoln Park, New Jersey, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 March 1997 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lincoln Park, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Lincoln Park (N07)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N3604W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Walter C Corocco

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Montgomery → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC97LA063

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance due to his diverted attention in attempting to re-illuminate the runway lights, which resulted in an inflight collision with a tree.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that when he entered the traffic pattern at an uncontrolled airport, the runway lights were illuminated. On final approach, the runway lights extinguished. He clicked the microphone 5 times, and the runway lights reappeared. He remembered nothing else until he woke up in the airplane and climbed out of the wreckage. The airplane had struck a tree about 83 feet high, and 1,306 feet from the displaced threshold of the landing runway. A check of the pilot controlled lighting found that although the lights would stay illuminated longer than the required minimum of 15 minutes, it was possible to extinguish the lights if an attempt was made to reset the timer. According to the FAA publications (Airman Information Manual) and (Advisory Circular 150/5340-27A), the cycle of illumination, once initiated, should not be able to be interrupted. The pilot reported in a telephone interview that he should have gone around rather than attempt to get the runway lights illuminated again.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.