Piper PA-24-250 accident near Hammonton, New Jersey, October 3, 2006
On October 3, 2006 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5097P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hammonton, New Jersey (Hammonton Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Displacement of the idler gear assembly, which resulted in a loss of camshaft timing, and a subsequent engine failure. Contributing to the accident was the swampy terrain condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 2006 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hammonton, New Jersey · Hammonton Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5097P · no longer on the register · serial 24-107
- 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 a base leg to the airport when the engine lost power, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a swampy area short of the runway. A subsequent examination of the engine revealed that within the accessory section, the idler gear assembly, which normally transferred power from the crankshaft to the left magneto and the camshaft, had been displaced. The mounting shaft had also been displaced, and the shaft hole was elongated. The upper portions of both shaft mounting plate retaining screws were missing. The lower screw appeared to be sheared, while the remnant of the upper screw exhibited mechanical damage. The crankcase surface area around the upper screw hole exhibited fretting, and the idler gear had missing and damaged gear teeth. Remnants of the shaft mounting plate retaining screws and screw lockplate were found in the bottom of the crankcase. The engine operating time was below the recommended time between overhaul (TBO). However, the manufacturer also recommended an overhaul if the TBO was not reached within the previous 12 years, and the accident engine had not been overhauled in over 30 years. The failure sequence could not be determined, and although an excessive amount of time had passed since the previous overhaul, the lack of an overhaul could not be correlated to the displacement of the idler gear assembly.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,050 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,671 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2005; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 17N Cross Keys NJ
- Destination: N81 Hammonton NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from ACY, 15 miles away
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.