Fairchild-Heliporter PILATUS PC6/B2-H2 N7391U
4 December 2004 · Cross Keys, New Jersey, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 December 2004 at about 16:45 local time, a Fairchild-Heliporter PILATUS PC6/B2-H2 registered N7391U, operated by Freefall Adventures, was involved in an incident near Cross Keys, New Jersey, United States. 9 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:45
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Cross Keys, New Jersey, United States
- Nearest airport
- Cross Keys Airport (17N)
- Coordinates
- 40.2994, -74.5209
- Aircraft
- Fairchild-Heliporter PILATUS PC6/B2-H2
- Registration
- N7391U
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Freefall Adventures
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Cross Keys → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC05IA029
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Probable cause
A total failure of the left elevator attachment point for undetermined reasons.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
About 5 minutes after takeoff, the left elevator partially separated, and fluttered for about 15-20 seconds. During that time, the pilot had difficulty controlling the airplane. The left elevator then completely separated, and the pilot regained control of the airplane. After regaining control, the pilot performed an uneventful landing. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left elevator separated about the mid-point of the horizontal stabilizer. The left elevator was attached to a bellcrank, secured by two 3/8-inch bolts. The bolts and elevator were not recovered.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Dec 2004 | Hare SEAWIND | Trenton, New Jersey, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 2004 | Bellanca 7KCAB | Farmingdale, New Jersey, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Jul 2004 | Grumman G-164A | Chatsworth, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 2004 | Cessna A150L | Kinnelon, New Jersey, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Sep 2004 | Cessna 185F | Somerville, New Jersey, United States | Michael Foise | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 2004 | Piper PA-32R-301 | Pittstown, New Jersey, United States | George Tarantino | Minor injuries | - |