Fokker F-27 accident near Atlantic City, New Jersey, April 2, 1997
On April 2, 1997 at about 3:20 am local time, a Fokker F-27, registered N280MA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atlantic City, New Jersey (Atlantic City Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person had minor injuries; 37 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the driver of the van to set the parking brake before exiting the van.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 2, 1997 · about 3:20 am local time
- Place
- Atlantic City, New Jersey · Atlantic City Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 37 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fokker F-27
- Registration
- N280MA · registry record · serial 10522
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While taxiing, the pilot observed a van travelling in reverse motion, moving from the pilot's left to right. The pilot signaled the van with the landing lights to attract the driver's attention, but the van passed the nose of the airplane. The pilot stopped the airplane, and the van continued and struck the right rear fuselage of the airplane. The investigation revealed that the driver had exited the running van to work on another airplane, without setting the parking brake. The van's transmission had been replaced the day of the accident, and the indicator for the gear selection was missing from the steering column.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,172 hours in all; 156 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 3,743 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,716 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 14, 1997; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 45,000 lb
- Seats: 51
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce DART 532-7R (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ACY NJ at 3:15 am
- Destination: RIC Richmond VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 330° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 33 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N280MA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.