Aviation Crash Map

Piper PA-28-180 N6337J

1 June 1997 · Melville, New York, United States · Fatal

Summary

On 1 June 1997 at about 01:13 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N6337J was involved in an accident near Melville, New York, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 01:13
Classification
Accident
Location
Melville, New York, United States
Coordinates
40.7804, -73.4105
Aircraft
Piper PA-28-180
Registration
N6337J
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Bridgeport → Farmingdale
Aircraft damage
Destroyed
Weather
IMC
Light
Night/Dark
NTSB number
IAD97FA079

People

4 people died.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
4 4 0 0 0

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane. Factors to this accident were night instrument meteorological conditions with low ceiling and fog.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot took off at night without obtaining a weather brief or filing a flight plan. The weather at his destination, approximately 30 miles away, included low ceilings and fog. Once airborne, the pilot immediately requested an instrument flight rules clearance to his destination and was vectored for the ILS approach. En-route, the controller questioned the pilot concerning his altitude, and before turning on final course, the pilot requested the ILS frequency for his destination. Once on the tower frequency, the controller told the pilot that the airplane was east of the final course and the pilot concurred. Nothing was heard from the pilot until he announced that he was executing a missed approach procedure. The radar track of the airplane indicated that the airplane turned to the east and was last recorded on a northeast heading at 600 feet MSL. The airplane impacted the ground on a westerly heading. The airplane's maintenance logbooks indicated the pitot static system was not tested in the previous 24 months. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any mechanical problems with the airframe and engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Piper PA-28 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
18 Feb 1997 Piper PA-28
N75050
Mulege, Mexico
no coordinates
Aabas Flying Club No injuries -
14 Apr 1997 Piper PA-28-160
N5363W
Pickens, South Carolina, United States Chester D. Maynard Minor injuries -
27 Jul 1997 Piper PA-28
N2394Q
Nelson, Canada
no coordinates
California Planners and Consul Fatal 4
27 Jun 1997 Piper PA-28-140
N6306R
Leadville, Colorado, United States Michael S. Luther Minor injuries -
11 Oct 1997 Piper PA-28-181
N2938B
Leadore, Idaho, United States - Fatal 2
14 Mar 1997 Piper PA-28-161
N2914A
Sanford, Maine, United States
no coordinates
- No injuries -

All 9,402 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
27 Mar 1997 Lockheed L-1011
N762DA
Jamaica, New York, United States
no coordinates
- Fatal -
4 Apr 1997 Cessna 650
N553AC
Buffalo, New York, United States - No injuries -
30 Apr 1997 Beechcraft F33A
N6733Y
Mattituck, New York, United States Jack Lindner No injuries -
16 May 1997 Cessna 182P
N7322S
Red Hook, New York, United States - Minor injuries -
13 May 1997 McDonnell Douglas MD-88
N984DL
Flushing, New York, United States - Serious injuries -
29 May 1997 Hiller UH-12E
N4029S
Granby, New York, United States - Serious injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States