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Accidents · NTSB WPR18FA155 · Final report

North American SNJ 2 accident near Melville, New York, May 30, 2018

On May 30, 2018 at about 5:48 pm local time, a 1940 North American SNJ 2, registered N62382, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Melville, New York (Republic airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, spin, and subsequent impact with terrain.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
May 30, 2018 · about 5:48 pm local time
Place
Melville, New York · Republic · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
North American SNJ 2 2, built 1940 · all SNJ 2s on the register
Registration
N62382 · no longer on the register · serial 2039
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot departed the airport with the intention of joining five other airplanes to proceed on a cross-country formation flight. The rear seat passenger onboard one of the other airplanes and a witness on the ground watched as the accident airplane entered a steep, climbing right 180° turn to about 1,300 ft above ground level, then subsequently entered a spin that continued to ground contact. A video captured the airplane in a steep, nose-down angle rotating around its vertical axis before impacting the ground. Postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation, with the exception of some preexisting cracks in the cockpit heater assembly. However, these cracks would not have negatively impacted the pilot's ability to control the airplane. Toxicology of the pilot revealed the presence of carbon monoxide in his blood that was not the result of the postcrash fire, and further examination of the heater assembly revealed no cracks or holes in the exhaust pipe that would have allowed gases to mix with the cockpit air supply. Given the level of carbon monoxide detected, it is unlikely that the pilot experienced any symptoms, regardless of the source, and there was no evidence to suggest that any carbon monoxide in the pilot's system contributed to the circumstances of the accident. Therefore, it is likely that, during the climbing turn, the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack and the airplane experienced an aerodynamic stall and inadvertent spin.

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

What happened, in order

  1. Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 16,125 hours in all
  • Medical certificate: Class 1
  • Seat: rear
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 5,765 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 21, 2018
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine: Pratt And Whitney R1340-AN-1 (piston); 13,191 hours total
  • Fire on the ground
  • Operator: Snj-2 CORP

The flight

  • Departed from: FRG Farmingdale NY at 5:45 pm
  • Destination: NHK Patuxent River MD
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 14, 6,833 ft by 150 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: a few clouds at 1,200 ft
  • Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
  • Observation at 4:53 pm from KFRG, 2 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

10 documents, released by the NTSB on August 28, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Other NTSB records under N62382 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

2007-09-02NYC07LA209 · accident near Farmingdale, NY · substantial damage · no injuries
1982-04-23NYC82DA078 · accident near Flushing, NY · substantial damage · no injuries

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.