Piper PA-28-151 accident near Howell, New Jersey, March 29, 2007
On March 29, 2007, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N33521, was destroyed in an accident near Howell, New Jersey (Monmouth Executive Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to attempt a flight with known serious medical conditions, which resulted in impairment during cruise flight, likely due to a stroke or transient ischemic attack. A factor was the pilot providing false information on his medical application.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 2007
- Place
- Howell, New Jersey · Monmouth Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N33521 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7515301
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a local flight in good weather, when he radioed air traffic control (ATC), to request a vector to his home airport. At the time, the airplane was about 10 miles southwest of the home airport, heading away from the airport, and the pilot was lost and disoriented. The controller provided the pilot with a position report and a vector to the pilot's airport; however, the pilot subsequently flew erratically at low altitudes and did not respond to calls by ATC several times. The airplane then impacted a wooded area. The pilot had a history of multiple severe medical conditions, and was at high risk for a stroke, having had a previous transient ischemic attack (TIA) (mini-stroke). A TIA or stroke could reasonably account for the pilot's disorientation and confusion just prior to the accident. Although the autopsy did not discover any evidence of stroke, such evidence would only be seen if the pilot had a completed stroke and lived long enough for changes in the brain to become apparent (usually several hours at the least). It is most likely that the pilot's disorientation and confusion immediately prior to the accident were consistent with a stroke or a transient ischemic attack. None of the pilot's severe medical conditions or the medications he was taking was reported to the FAA during the pilot's most recent application for a third class medical certificate. Had they been reported, the certificate would have been denied. The pilot's personal physician believed that the pilot had not been flying as a pilot for at least 5 years. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
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
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 275 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,063 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BLM Farmingdale NJ at 11:00 pm
- Destination: BLM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 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.