Piper PA-28-140 accident near Hillsborough, New Jersey, May 29, 1999
On May 29, 1999 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N98122, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hillsborough, New Jersey (Central Jersey Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the accident airplane's make and model.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1999 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Hillsborough, New Jersey · Central Jersey Regional
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N98122 · no longer on the register · serial 28-26055
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot could not figure out how to get the starter to engage, so he radioed for assistance. The pilot was then told to rotate the ignition switch all the way to the right, and then push in. The starter engaged. The pilot then taxied to the runway, preformed a run-up check, and departed. After becoming airborne, the airplane assumed a 10 to 15 degree climb attitude, and turned left 20 degrees for noise abatement. According to a witness, after completing the turn and reaching approximately 200 feet above ground level, the airplane stalled. The nose of the airplane pitched up and down, but never went below the horizon. The airplane's right wing then impacted a tree, rolled inverted, and impacted the ground in a nose low attitude. No pre-impact failures or malfunctions were discovered during the examination of the wreckage. The pilot had logged a total of 117 hours of flight experience and was signed off in the accident airplane approximately 2 months before the accident. No documentation was discovered that indicated the pilot had any flight experience in the accident airplane.
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: 119 hours in all; 105 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,175 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 15, 1998; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 47N Somerville NJ at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,509 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 15 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from EWR, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.