Piper PA-28-140 N1441T

Summary

On 5 July 2013 at about 15:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N1441T, operated by Craig Levine, was involved in an accident near Blairstown, New Jersey, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 July 2013 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Blairstown, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Blairstown Airport (1N7)

Coordinates

40.9694, -74.9917

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N1441T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Craig Levine

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Blairstown → Blue Bell

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA316

2 people had minor injuries.

The flight's encounter with a downdraft from a ridge shortly after takeoff resulting in a loss of lift and collision with terrain during an uncontrolled descent.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was departing an airport near a ridge. Everything was normal on takeoff; however, during climbout shortly after departure, the airplane descended as if it was in a strong downdraft and he could not maintain altitude. The passenger, who was a glider pilot, stated that he estimated the airplane was approximately 200 feet above the ground when the pilot reported that they were losing altitude. Witnesses at the airport stated that during takeoff roll, the airplane rotated nose-up about one-third to one-half down the 3,088-foot long runway. The airplane remained in that attitude down the entire runway, about 20 feet above the ground. The airplane pitched up further, just cleared trees off the departure end of the runway, then appeared to stall and descend behind the treeline. The airplane subsequently impacted the front yard of a residence off the departure end of the runway and came to rest upright. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that during the impact, all three landing gear separated. Additionally, the firewall and lower fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and the inspector did not observe any. The recorded wind at an airport approximately 10 miles from the accident site, about 25 minutes after the accident, was variable at 5 knots. The recorded temperature at that time was 84 degrees F.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.