ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 37296
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| Date: | Wednesday 18 October 1995 |
| Time: | 20:55 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain |
| Owner/operator: | Don Thurber Enterprises Inc |
| Registration: | N711EX |
| MSN: | 31-7952075 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7335 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 6 mi S of JFK Airport, New York -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Atlantic City, New Jersey (ACY/KACY) |
| Farmingdale, New York (FRG/KFRG) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On October 18, 1995, about 20:55 EDT (Eastern Daylight Time), a Piper PA-31-350, N711EX, ditched in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 6 miles south of John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Jamaica, New York, and was substantially damaged. The airline transport pilot (captain) and three passengers were not injured. The commercial pilot (first officer) received minor injuries, and one passenger was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed for the flight, which departed Atlantic City, New Jersey, approximately 20:10 EDT. The on-demand air taxi flight was being conducted in accordance with 14 CFR Part 135.
While descending from 5,000 feet to 3,000 feet, en route to Farmingdale, New York, the pilot was in contact with JFK Approach Control. He informed the controller at JFK that the left engine had failed and the engine cowling was open. The pilot declared an emergency and requested a landing at JFK. The controller cleared the pilot to land on runway 4.
The crew performed the emergency checklist and feathered the left propeller. The captain said that he could see the three propeller blades, but could not determine if the blades were feathered. The crew said that after everything was secured and the right engine was at full power, they could not arrest a 300 to 500 feet-per-minute rate of descent. The captain then told the first officer to instruct the passengers to don their life vests, and to advise them that they were going to ditch in the water. The crew also informed JFK that they could not make the airport and would be landing in the water. The pilot asked JFK to send rescue help.
After landing in the water, all the occupants exited the airplane from the left front pilot's emergency door. The airplane sank in approximately 85 feet of water. The victims were in the water for approximately 30 minutes before being rescued by a Coast Guard Helicopter and a New York City Police Boat. One of the passengers was in cardiac arrest when he was retrieved from the water.
The accident occurred during the hours of darkness at approximately 40 degrees, 31 minutes north, and 73 degrees, 45 minutes west. The aircraft crashed in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 6 miles south of JFK Airport. The airplane was found and recovered from the ocean on November, 3, 1995, and examined at parking lot near Jamaica, New York.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
a total loss of left engine power as a result of an in-flight separation of the #2 cylinder. The cylinder separated due to high stress fatigue cracking of the cylinder hold down studs and the #3 main bearing thru-studs. Factors in this accident were: improper torquing of the studs and failure of maintenance personnel to properly comply with service information.
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: NYC96FA012 at https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20001207X04766&ntsbno=NYC96FA012&akey=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 29-Apr-2015 15:54 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Apr-2015 15:55 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 11-Oct-2017 17:58 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 23-Jan-2022 09:42 | TB | Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Source] |
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