Piper PA-18-150 accident near Sandy Hook Beac, New Jersey, June 20, 1982
On June 20, 1982 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N6879B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sandy Hook Beac, New Jersey. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- June 20, 1982 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Sandy Hook Beac, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6879B · no longer on the register · serial 185465
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE HE WAS TOWING A BANNER, THE ENGINE RPM BEGAN TO DECREASE. HE INITIATED EMERGENCY PROCEDURES, BUT COULD NOT RESTORE THE POWER. THE PLANE WAS MANEUVERED FOR A FORCED LANDING ON A BEACH. THE PLANE CRASHED ON THE BEACH WHILE THE PILOT WAS TURNING TO AVOID PEOPLE AND DRIFTWOOD. DURING AN INVESTIGATION, THE NO. 3 CYLINDER HAD NO COMPRESSION WHEN IT WAS CHECKED. SIGNIFICANT LEAD DEPOSITS WERE FOUND ON THE STEM OF THE NO. 3 EXHAUST VALVE AND ON ITS VALVE SEAT. THE FACE OF THE VALVE WAS MAKING CONTACT WITH ONLY ABOUT 60 PERCENT OF THE SEAT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,913 hours in all; 58 in this make and model; 1,913 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,138 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NG1 Colt'S Neck NJ at 12:25 pm
- Destination: NG1 Colt'S Neck NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N6879B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.