Cessna 414A accident near Atlantic City, New Jersey, May 18, 1986
On May 18, 1986 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 414A, registered N414NY, was destroyed in an accident near Atlantic City, New Jersey (Bader Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- May 18, 1986 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Atlantic City, New Jersey · Bader Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414A · all 414As on the register
- Registration
- N414NY · no longer on the register · serial 414A0242
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TKF GND RUN, AT A SPEED OF 95 KTS, THE PLT PULLED THE CONTROL WHEEL BACK TO LIFT OFF. THE CONTROL WHEEL, ACCORDING TO THE PLT, WOULD NOT GO BACK MORE THAN ABOUT 2 INCHES; WHICH IS LESS THAN HALF THE NORMAL FULL AFT TRAVEL. THE ACFT REACHED A SPEED OF ABOUT 105 KTS AND HAD TRAVELED MORE THAN HALF OF THE RWY LENGTH WHEN THE PLT ABORTED THE TKF. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE ACFT ON THE RWY. THE ACFT WENT OFF THE RUNWAY AND SUBSEQUENTLY COLLIDED WITH AN OCCUPIED CAR THAT WAS ON A NEARBY STREET. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE LEFTSIDE VOR IND HAD LOOSENED FROM ITS MOUNTING CLAMP ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND IT WAS LAYING AGAINST THE CONTROL WHEEL TUBE, BEHIND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, LIMITING THE CONTROL WHEEL TO 2.5 INCHES OF REARWARD TRAVEL. THE PLT STATED THAT HE REMOVED THE CONTROL LOCK BEFORE ENGINE START AND PERFORMED A FLIGHT CONTROL CHECK BEFORE TKF.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,010 hours in all; 76 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 3,757 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,054 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 21, 1986; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: East Coast Airways,Ltd
The flight
- Departed from: A1Y Atlantic City NJ
- Destination: A1Y Atlantic City NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,594 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from ACY, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.