North American SNJ-6 accident near Readington, New Jersey, August 16, 2014
On August 16, 2014 at about 2:00 pm local time, a 1958 North American SNJ-6, registered N211A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Readington, New Jersey (Solberg-Hunterdon 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 aircraft control during landing which resulted in an aircraft nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2014 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Readington, New Jersey · Solberg-Hunterdon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American SNJ-6, built 1958 · all SNJ-6s on the register
- Registration
- N211A · registry record · serial 121-42318
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing on a 3,442 foot long by 200 foot wide turf runway, the pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane touched down in a 3 point attitude. He advised that his approach was normal and on speed, and the airplane touched down normally at 60 to 63 miles per hour and began to decelerate. The turf was a "bit rough" and had some areas that were bumpier than others. The airplane hit a bump at around 30-35 MPH and launched back in to the air to an estimated altitude of about 6 to 8 feet above ground level in a nose high attitude. The airplane then touched down tail first, then the main landing gear touched down. The tail then bounced back in the air and continued to climb up, forcing the plane to wheel barrel for about 50 feet then the propeller struck the ground, the engine cowling contacted the ground, and the airplane nosed over onto its back in the center of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it had incurred substantial damage to multiple areas including the propeller, engine cowling, cockpit canopy, vertical stabilizer, rudder, and left wing.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 21,000 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 10,090 as pilot in command; 1,050 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 24, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,015 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R1340 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SMQ Somerville NJ at 1:50 pm
- Destination: N51 Readington NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,442 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from SMQ, 4 miles away
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 ERA14CA394.