Piper PA-28-180 accident near Sussex, New Jersey, March 30, 2005
On March 30, 2005 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N9235J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sussex, New Jersey (Sussex airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to insure adequate obstacle clearance while conducting a practice forced landing approach, and the flight instructor's failure to take remedial action, which resulted in an in-flight collision with wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 2005 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Sussex, New Jersey · Sussex · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9235J · no longer on the register · serial 283308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot\owner was executing a practice forced landing to a runway, with a flight instructor in the right seat. During the landing, the right main landing gear contacted the top wire of a set of wires approximately 30 feet high, and 200 feet short of the approach end of the runway. The right wing dropped, and the pilot applied full left rudder and power. The engine responded, but the airplane impacted the runway. The pilot had the warning balls on the wires insight, but did not realize there was an additional wire 4 to 6 feet higher.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 6,101 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 380 hours in all; 380 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FWN Sussex NJ at 5:30 pm
- Destination: FWN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,499 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from FWN
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 N9235J 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.