Summary
On March 02, 1989, a Piper PA-31-350 (N40978) was involved in an incident near Toms River, NJ. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED AND CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND HIS EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: AUTOPLT MALFUNCTION DUE TO IMPROPER INSTALLATION BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PREFLIGHT THE AUTOPILOT BEFORE USING IT IN FLIGHT.
This incident is documented in NTSB report NYC89FA093. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N40978.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED AND CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND HIS EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: AUTOPLT MALFUNCTION DUE TO IMPROPER INSTALLATION BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PREFLIGHT THE AUTOPILOT BEFORE USING IT IN FLIGHT.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# NYC89FA093