Piper PA-31 NAVAJO N27944
9 August 2000 · Burlington Twp., New Jersey, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 9 August 2000 at about 11:52 local time, a Piper PA-31 NAVAJO registered N27944, operated by Patuxent Airways, Inc, was involved in an accident near Burlington Twp., New Jersey, United States. 11 people were on board and 11 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 11:52
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Burlington Twp., New Jersey, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31 NAVAJO
- Registration
- N27944
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Patuxent Airways, Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Trenton → Patuxent
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Not Reported
- NTSB number
- DCA00MA080
People
11 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
the failure of the pilots of the two airplanes to see and avoid each other and maintain proper airspace separation during visual flight rules flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, N27944, operated by Patuxent Airways, Inc., Hollywood, Maryland, and a Piper PA-44-180 Seminole, N2225G, operated by Hortman Aviation Services, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were destroyed when they collided in flight over Burlington Township, New Jersey. The airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, and seven passengers aboard the Navajo Chieftain were killed, as were the flight instructor and the private pilot aboard the Seminole. Day visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident, and both airplanes were operating under visual flight rules when the collision occurred. The flight crews of both airplanes were properly certificated and qualified in accordance with applicable Federal regulations. None of these individuals was experiencing any personal problems or rest anomalies that would have affected their performance. The airplanes had undergone the required inspections. Examination of their maintenance documents revealed that both airplanes complied with all appropriate airworthiness directives. Evidence gathered from the wreckage indicated that neither airplane had experienced an in-flight fire, bird strike, or structural or mechanical failure. Tissue samples revealed that the pilot of the Seminole had taken doxylamine sometime before the accident. (Doxylamine is a sedating antihistamine that has substantial adverse effects on performance.) However, the amount of blood available for analysis was insufficient for determining exactly when the pilot may have ingested the medication or whether his performance was impaired by the effects of doxylamine. A partial cockpit visibility study revealed that the Seminole would have been visible to the pilots in the Chieftain for at least the 60 seconds before the collision. No stereo photographs from a Seminole cockpit were available to determine precise obstruction angles. However, because of the relative viewing angle, the Chieftain would have been visible to the pilots in the Seminole for most of the last 60 seconds. The study further revealed that about 4 seconds before impact, or about .11 nm separation, the angular width of each airplane in each pilot's field of vision would have been approximately 0.5 to 0.6 degrees or about 1/4 inch apparent size at the windscreen.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piper PA-31 NAVAJO PA-31 NAVA | N27944 | Patuxent Airways, Inc | Destroyed |
| Piper PA-44 SEMINOLE PA-44 SEMI | N2225G | Hortman Aviation Services | Destroyed |
Other Piper PA-31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Apr 2000 | Piper PA-31-350 | Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States | Patton Aviatin Inc,. | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 2000 | Piper PA-31-350 | Lumber City, Georgia, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 5 Jun 2000 | Piper PA-31-350 | Kiowa, Colorado, United States | Key Lime Air, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 1 Jun 2000 | Piper PA-31-350 | Tanana, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Dec 2000 | Piper PA-31-350 | Deadhorse, Alaska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 2000 | Piper PA-31-325 | Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Nov 2000 | Dever FIREFLY | Berlin, New Jersey, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 2000 | Beechcraft 19 | West Milford, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Nov 2000 | Navion A | Lumberton, New Jersey, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Jul 2000 | Bellanca 7GCBC | Wildwood, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Sep 2000 | Bell 206B | North Arlington, New Jersey, United States | Raco Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 25 Apr 2000 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Continental Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |