Piper PA-36-400 accident near Mullica Hill, New Jersey, May 23, 1987
On May 23, 1987 at about 10:00 am local time, a Piper PA-36-400, registered N2412X, was destroyed in an accident near Mullica Hill, New Jersey. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person 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 23, 1987 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Mullica Hill, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-400 · all PA-36-400s on the register
- Registration
- N2412X · registry record · serial 36-830200L
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THE PA-36 WAS SPRAYING CHEMICALS ON TREES FOR CONTROL OF THE GYPSY MOTH. HE REPORTED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO CLEAR POWER LINES AND DUMPED HIS LOAD. THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED TO THE GROUND. THE FAA REPORTED THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT EXCEEDED THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,075 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 824 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 20, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720-D1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N83 Bridgeport NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.