Republic P 47D N1345B

Summary

On 27 May 2016 at about 23:30 local time, a Republic P 47D registered N1345B, operated by American Airpower Museum, was involved in an accident near New York, New York, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 May 2016 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

New York, New York, United States

Coordinates

40.7917, -73.9853

Aircraft

Republic P 47D

Registration

N1345B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1945

Engines

1

Operator

American Airpower Museum

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Farmingdale → Farmingdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA195

1 person died.

A catastrophic engine failure of undetermined origin, which resulted in a total loss of engine power and subsequent ditching. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to jettison the canopy before ditching, which resulted in his inability to egress the airplane as it sank.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The World War II-era fighter airplane was part of a three-ship formation performing a photo shoot. About 1,000 ft above the water, the pilot of the accident airplane made a distress call to air traffic control, stating that he had "smoke," and he subsequently ditched the airplane. The airplane landed on the water and subsequently sank. Another pilot in the formation reported that the canopy was partially open before the ditching. The pilot was unable to egress the airplane and drowned. Examination of the engine revealed evidence of internal seizure. Damage to the inside of the crankcase prevented the removal of cylinders and disassembly of the engine. Oil and metallic fragments were found inside the engine's supercharger. Although the supercharger may have failed as the initiating event, the reason for the engine failure could not be determined due to the excessive internal damage to the engine. Examination of the pilot's seat belt/shoulder harness restraints and canopy operation, including a functional test of the jettison T-handle, did not reveal evidence of any in-flight anomaly or failure. Although the airplane's operating instructions called for the pilot to jettison the canopy before ditching, the pilot did not do so, and was subsequently unable to fully open the canopy and egress the airplane as it sank. Toxicology testing revealed diphenhydramine, an impairing medication that causes sedation, altered mood, and impaired cognitive and psychomotor performance in blood and urine specimens. However, the level of diphenhydramine in blood was too low to quantify and therefore any effects from it likely did not contribute to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.