Amateur-built SD3-60-200 incident near Atlantic City, New Jersey, June 14, 1993
On June 14, 1993 at about 9:02 pm local time, a amateur-built SD3-60-200, registered N711HJ, was involved in an incident near Atlantic City, New Jersey (Atlantic City airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 21 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A malfunction of the cargo fire warning system which resulted in a false alarm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 14, 1993 · about 9:02 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic City, New Jersey · Atlantic City
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 21 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SD3-60-200
- Registration
- N711HJ · no longer on the register · serial SH3697
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS CRUISING AT 6000 FEET WHEN THE AFT BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT FIRE LIGHT ILLUMINATED IN THE COCKPIT. EXTINGUISHING AGENT WAS DIRECTED TO THE AFT BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT BY THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT PLACING THE NOZZLE OF A HAND HELD FIRE EXTINGUISHER THROUGH A RECEPTACLE WITH A SEALING 'O' RING, LOCATED ON THE AFT CABIN BULKHEAD. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT SAID THE EXTINGUISHING AGENT BLEW BACK ONTO HER HANDS. SHE THEN TRIED TWO OTHER EXTINGUISHERS WITH THE SAME RESULTS. AFTER LANDING, EXAMINATION OF THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF A FIRE. THE FIRE WARNING WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A FALSE INDICATION FROM THE SMOKE DETECTOR IN THE AFT BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT. POST INCIDENT TESTING BY THE FAA AND THE OPERATOR FOUND THAT WHEN THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER NOZZLE DID NOT FIT THORUGH THE SEALING 'O' RING, EXTINGUISHING AGENT WOULD SPRAY BACK ON THE PERSON HOLDING THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER. WHEN THE SEALING 'O' RING WAS LUBRICATED, AND THE NOZZLE WAS CHAMFERED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MANUFACTURERS SERVICE BULLETIN, THE EXTINGUISHER NOZZLE FIT THROUGH THE SEALING 'O' RING EASILY AND NO LEAKAGE OCCURRED.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,609 hours in all; 1,206 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days; 2,276 as pilot in command; 480 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,829 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 28, 1993; 115 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 26,453 lb
- Seats: 39
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-65AR (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHL Philadelphia PA at 8:20 pm
- Destination: HVN New Haven CT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 6,144 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from ACY, 42 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 18 |
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.