Piper PA-32-260 accident near Lincoln Park, New Jersey, March 25, 1997
On March 25, 1997, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N3604W, was destroyed in an accident near Lincoln Park, New Jersey (Lincoln Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance due to his diverted attention in attempting to re-illuminate the runway lights, which resulted in an inflight collision with a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 1997
- Place
- Lincoln Park, New Jersey · Lincoln Park
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N3604W · no longer on the register · serial 32-502
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that when he entered the traffic pattern at an uncontrolled airport, the runway lights were illuminated. On final approach, the runway lights extinguished. He clicked the microphone 5 times, and the runway lights reappeared. He remembered nothing else until he woke up in the airplane and climbed out of the wreckage. The airplane had struck a tree about 83 feet high, and 1,306 feet from the displaced threshold of the landing runway. A check of the pilot controlled lighting found that although the lights would stay illuminated longer than the required minimum of 15 minutes, it was possible to extinguish the lights if an attempt was made to reset the timer. According to the FAA publications (Airman Information Manual) and (Advisory Circular 150/5340-27A), the cycle of illumination, once initiated, should not be able to be interrupted. The pilot reported in a telephone interview that he should have gone around rather than attempt to get the runway lights illuminated again.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,510 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 3,510 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,965 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 27, 1996; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MGJ Montgomery NY at 11:30 pm
- Destination: N07
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 2,942 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from CDW, 4 miles away
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.