Piper PA-42 accident near Belmar, New Jersey, March 9, 2009
On March 9, 2009 at about 4:18 pm local time, a Piper PA-42, registered N28DA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Belmar, New Jersey (Monmouth Executive Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 2009 · about 4:18 pm local time
- Place
- Belmar, New Jersey · Monmouth Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-42 · all PA-42s on the register
- Registration
- N28DA · no longer on the register · serial 42-8001078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in the right seat stated that he was the "flying pilot" at the time of the accident. The flight proceeded normally in instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot made visual contact with the airport between 1 and 2 miles from the airport, and the pilot circled to land on runway 14. When he was between 200 and 300 hundred feet above ground level, he corrected his turn to final with a "slightly aggressive bank angle" while simultaneously reducing power, resulting in an excessive sink rate. He rolled the wings to level and increased power. He was not able to arrest the sink rate before the aircraft impacted the runway. The impact collapsed the left main landing gear and caused the airplane to swerve left. The airplane came to rest approximately 1000 feet beyond the threshold off the left side of the runway. The "flying pilot" had over 133 hours in the make and model of the accident aircraft, 20 hours as pilot in command (PIC), and 3 hours as PIC in the preceding 90 days.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Abnormal runway contact during landing defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,566 hours in all; 133 in this make and model; 88 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 1,786 as pilot in command; 1,596 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 27, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Other crew
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,484 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 7,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,637 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 7, 2009; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,200 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P&W Canada PT6A-41 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada PT6A-41 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hortmont Aviation Services INC
The flight
- Departed from: PNE Philadelphia PA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: BLM Belmar NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 7,300 ft by 80 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point -8°F (-22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from BLM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA09CA190.