Ryan NAVION-A accident near East Moriches, New York, October 20, 1998
On October 20, 1998 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Ryan NAVION-A, registered N4529K, was substantially damaged in an accident near East Moriches, New York (Spadaro airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and the certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 1998 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- East Moriches, New York · Spadaro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan NAVION-A · all NAVION-As on the register
- Registration
- N4529K · no longer on the register · serial NAV4-1529
- 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 and student pilot/owner took off with the winds from 330 degrees magnetic at 18 knots. After practicing in the local training area, they flew to another airport 31 miles to the east. After entering the traffic pattern, they noticed the windsock favoring runway 36 and estimated the wind to be 5 knots. During the first attempt at landing, the student pilot was too high and fast, and a go-around was executed. Throughout the go-around and traffic pattern, the student and CFI did not notice any changes in the wind. On descent to the runway, the CFI stated that the '(air)speed needle jumped from 75 to 60 and the airplane started sinking in a pre-stall configuration. Before the student had time to react, I pushed the nose of the airplane down in an attempt to restore enough (air) speed while telling him to add power.' The airplane impacted the runway, collapsing the nose landing gear and came to rest in an upright position off the right side of the runway.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,927 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,700 as pilot in command; 630 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,518 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-8-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FRG Farmingdale NY at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 1N2 Spadaro NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,200 ft by 20 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from ISP, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N4529K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 IAD99LA011.