Piper PA-28-140 accident near Sussex, New Jersey, May 21, 2014
On May 21, 2014 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1967 Piper PA-28-140, registered N9592W, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Sussex, New Jersey (Sussex airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain proper airspeed while on approach, and his subsequent failure to recover from a bounced landing, 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
- May 21, 2014 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sussex, New Jersey · Sussex · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140, built 1967 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N9592W · registry record · serial 28-23040
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was landing on a 3,499-foot-long, asphalt runway. He reported that the airplane's final approach speed was "too fast" and upon landing, the airplane began to bounce. After the third bounce, the airplane landed hard which resulted in substantial damage to the nose landing gear and firewall. The pilot further reported he did not experience any preaccident malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation, and that he should have aborted the landing after the first bounce. Winds reported at the airport, about the time of the accident, were variable at 7 knots.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,550 hours in all; 950 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 2, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 22, 2014; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 143 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LDJ Linden NJ at 6:00 pm
- Destination: FWN Sussex NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 3,499 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from FWN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA14CA250.