Amateur-built Seawind accident near Trenton, New Jersey, December 8, 2004
On December 8, 2004 at about 5:24 pm local time, a amateur-built Seawind, registered N42HA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trenton, New Jersey (Trenton Mercer Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper fuel management which resulted in fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power. A contributing factor to the accident was the pilot's inadvertent loss of airspeed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 2004 · about 5:24 pm local time
- Place
- Trenton, New Jersey · Trenton Mercer Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Seawind
- Registration
- N42HA · registry record · serial 10
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated flight instructor was conducting a flight review with the commercial pilot owner in an amateur built amphibious airplane powered by an Allison 250 turboprop engine. The engine began to surge. After discussion with the flight instructor, the pilot decided to return to an airport. During the descent the engine continued to surge and eventually lost all power. About 15 feet above the grass, off of the approach end of a runway, the airplane "stalled" and experienced a hard landing. The fuel system of the airplane was composed of two main tanks each capable of holding 30 gallons which simultaneously provided fuel to the engine, two auxiliary tanks each capable of holding 30 gallons and two wingtip tanks each capable of holding 25 gallons, for a total capacity of 170 gallons of fuel. A fuel transfer valve, flow meter and fuel quantity indicator were also installed. However, the fuel quantity indicator could only show the quantity of the two left and right, main tanks, and the fuel totalizer function of the flow meter was inoperative. Following the accident it was revealed that the fuel transfer valve was in the "open" position and that about 1 gallon of fuel was present in the left main tank, approximately 11 gallons in the right main tank and 14 gallons in the right auxiliary tank. Both wingtip fuel tanks and the left auxiliary fuel tank were absent of fuel. Fuel samples taken from the airplane for examination were bright, clear, and no visible contamination or water could be observed. A check of both samples was performed using water-finding paste, and no color change was observed. A detailed examination and test cell run of the engine was conducted which did not reveal evidence of any pre-impact failures and all engine response times were within limits during the test run. During interviews, the flight instructor stated that he had been told that their was about 1 to 1.5 hours of fuel on board, and that they had been airborne only about 25 minutes when the engine lost power.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: 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: 14,605 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 14,301 as pilot in command; 4,850 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 30, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,160 hours in all; 82 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 13, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 244 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 5, 2004; 0.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 250-B17C (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 39N Princeton NJ at 4:59 pm
- Destination: 39N
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 6,006 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 19 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,900 ft; clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KTTN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.