Piper PA-23-250 accident near Bernardsville, New Jersey, September 6, 2007
On September 6, 2007 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N62BA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bernardsville, New Jersey. It was a positioning 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
The failure by unidentified maintenance personnel to follow appropriate procedures when attaching the No. 3 cylinder, which was replaced subsequent to the engine overhaul and not entered in the logbook, resulting in fatigue failures of the cylinder studs.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2007 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bernardsville, New Jersey · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N62BA · no longer on the register · serial 27-4859
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 25 minutes into the positioning flight, the pilot felt a slight vibration and a few minutes later noticed a small streak of smoke trailing along the right engine cowling. He shut down the right engine as a precautionary measure. He then observed a flame emanating from the right side of the engine, so he pitched the nose of the airplane down, increasing the airspeed and extinguishing the fire almost immediately. He subsequently landed uneventfully. Examination of the right engine revealed that the number 3 cylinder was separated from the engine case, and that the right wing was substantially damaged. Detailed examination of the number 3 cylinder attachment studs revealed that they had failed in fatigue, most likely due to insufficient preload of the fastening nuts. Paint in the nut contact area around one of the cylinder hold down plates was present, and was not disturbed. Adequate friction during the attachment and torquing process would be expected to disturb and remove the paint layer, as was seen at other locations on the hold down plate. Further, the paint observed between the cylinder flange and hold down plate was not the primer specified by the engine manufacturer's overhaul manual, and was applied at a thickness greater than that specified in the manual. The presence of this paint could have lead to an in-service loss of preload, even if sufficient torque was applied to the cylinder nuts at the time of installation. Although logbook records had no entries to show that any of the right engine’s cylinders had been removed or replaced since the last engine overhaul, evidence indicated that the No. 3 cylinder had been replaced after the engine was overhauled. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the cylinders installed during the overhaul were new, and had serial and cylinder class numbers stamped on them. The overhauler stated that new cylinders were received with a thin coat of zinc chromate, and that the engine was painted after reassembly. The failed No. 3 cylinder examined after the accident did not have serial numbers, and had paint between the cylinder flange and hold down plate. Logbook records had no entries to show any of the right engine's cylinders had been removed or replaced since the last engine overhaul.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,765 hours in all; 3,640 in this make and model; 325 in the last 90 days; 99 in the last 30 days; 77 as pilot in command; 510 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,880 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PNE Philadelphia PA
- Destination: SWF Newburgh NY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from TTN, 40 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.