Piper PA-18-150 accident near Cape May, New Jersey, July 9, 1982
On July 9, 1982 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N6897B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cape May, New Jersey. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 1982 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cape May, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6897B · registry record · serial 18-5084
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER DEPARTING ON A BANNER TOWING MISSION, THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN POWER LOSS. HE HAD INSUFFICIENT POWER AND ALTITUDE TO RETURN TO THE FIELD AND ELECTED TO DITCH IN A CREEK. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE NO.2 EXHAUST VALVE, PN 75068, HAD FAILED. THE ENGINE HAD A TOTAL TIME OF 3775 HRS AND 1366 HRS HAD BEEN ACCUMULATED SINCE A COMPLETE 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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 870 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 97 in the last 90 days; 697 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,951 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Paramount Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: Rio Grande NJ at 12:00 pm
- Destination: Rio Grande NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 189°F (87°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.