Amateur-built RV-6A accident near Williamstown, New Jersey, August 28, 2004
On August 28, 2004 at about 6:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-6A, registered N524JN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Williamstown, New Jersey (Southern Cross airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2004 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Williamstown, New Jersey · Southern Cross · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-6A
- Registration
- N524JN · registry record · serial 23598
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on approach to a 2,400-foot-long, 80-foot-wide, turf runway. The pilot reported that everything seemed normal until the airplane settled hard and "dropped" onto the runway. The airplane's empennage struck the ground, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane flipped over. A pilot-rated passenger reported that the pilot started to flare "a little too high," and the airplane stalled about 10 to 12 feet above the ground. The pilot did not report any mechanical problems.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 529 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 427 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 29, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 687 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 1, 2004; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CGE Cambridge MD at 5:00 pm
- Destination: C01 Williamstown NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,700 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from PHL, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.