Beech A36 accident near Wayne, New Jersey, January 16, 2007
On January 16, 2007, a Beech A36, registered N711SK, was destroyed in an accident near Wayne, New Jersey (Essex County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to comply with the published instrument approach procedure, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 2007
- Place
- Wayne, New Jersey · Essex County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N711SK · no longer on the register · serial E-877
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane approached the destination airport in night instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot received a clearance for the localizer approach, and radar and global positioning (GPS) data revealed the airplane was established on the localizer course centerline. The airplane crossed the final approach fix 200 feet below the minimum descent altitude (MDA) for the fix, and over the next 1.5 miles, descended on an approximate 7-degree approach angle and a 945 feet-per-minute rate of descent. The airplane continued its descent and struck trees on a ridgeline approximately 400 feet below the intermediate MDA for that segment of the approach. A witness at the crash site saw the airplane through thick fog in a wings-level descent just prior to contact with the trees. She stated that the engine ran smoothly and without interruption. Other witnesses described thick fog along the ridgeline throughout the day prior to the accident, with visibility less than 1/8 mile. Examination of the damaged trees, the crash site, and the airplane revealed signatures consistent with engine power at ground contact. Examination of the wreckage revealed no mechanical anomalies. Post accident flight check results for the localizer approach were "Satisfactory." Further examination of air traffic control (ATC) records revealed that the pilot's first takeoff on the day of the accident was 12 hours prior to the accident.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,455 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,935 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2006; 139 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CLT Charlotte NC at 9:59 pm
- Destination: CDW Caldwell NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 4,553 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.