At about 15:45 EDT, the pilot and a passenger in a Piper Cherokee died when it crashed after takeoff from the Central Jersey Regional Airport. A witness said he was at the FBO at about 15:10 when the pilot requested maintenance support over the radio. He went to assist and the pilot told him the starter would not engage. After assessing the situation, the witness realized that the pilot did not know how to operate the starter. After he explained the procedure, the starter engaged. The witness briefed his next student and soon the witness and his student taxied to the run-up area behind the accident airplane. After becoming airborne, the accident airplane assumed a 10 to 15 degree climb attitude, and turned 20 degrees to the left for noise abatement. After completing the turn and reaching approximately 200 feet, the airplane stalled. The pilots logbook showed a total of 116.9 hours of flight experience, and no entry for the accident airplane make and model. However, flight school records showed the pilot flew with a flight instructor on April 2 and was signed off in a Piper PA-28-180.
May 29, Hillsborough, N.J. / Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee
At about 15:45 EDT, the pilot and a passenger in a Piper Cherokee died when it crashed after takeoff from the Central Jersey Regional Airport. A witness said he was at the FBO at about 15:10 when the pilot requested maintenance support over the radio. He went to assist and the pilot told him the starter would not engage. After assessing the situation, the witness realized that the pilot did not know how to operate the starter. After he explained the procedure, the starter engaged. The witness briefed his next student and soon the witness and his student taxied to the run-up area behind the accident airplane. After becoming airborne, the accident airplane assumed a 10 to 15 degree climb attit...
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper Cherokee crashed after takeoff from Central Jersey Regional Airport, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and a passenger.
- Prior to takeoff, the pilot demonstrated a lack of familiarity with basic aircraft operation when he struggled to engage the starter, requiring assistance from a witness.
- The accident occurred when the airplane stalled at approximately 200 feet after completing a noise abatement turn.
- The pilot had limited flight experience (116.9 hours total) and no logbook entry for the specific accident airplane make and model, although flight school records showed a recent sign-off in a similar Piper PA-28-180.
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