Blairstown

The aircraft was on final approach to runway 30 at Somerset airport, Somerville, New Jersey when there was a loss of power of the right engine. The pilot raised the landing gear and flaps, and the aircraft rolled to the right, descended toward the ground and crashed. The fuel selector valve to the right wing tank was in the closed position. The right engine magnetos were defective. All four occupants were injured, two seriously.

Aero Commander 560E, N3827C (27C) was returning from Blairstown where it had been flown for minor maintenance. The pilot was on an IFR flight plan, cleared by New York tracon to proceed at 2,000 feet msl on a radar vector of 170° for an ILS approach to the Teterboro Airport. The aircraft was equipped with an altitude encoding transponder that was being used. The pilot was advised of numerous targets at his 12 o'clock position. At approximately the same time, Cessna 182Q, N96402 (402), was on a flight from the Kupper Airport to Ramapo Airport. A direct route between these airports would have intersected the nw edge of the New York TCA where positive control began between 1,800 and 7,000 feet msl. The pilot was proceeding VFR with no flight plan and was not in radio communication with any ATC facility. 402 was equipped with a transponder that was operating, but had no altitude encoding capability. As the aircraft converged, 402 was on a northeasterly heading. The planes collided about 1 mile inside the TCA. Then impacted the ground approximately 1,500 feet apart. A map was found in 402 with a line drawn between the airports and intersecting the TCA. All three occupants in both aircraft were killed.

En route, the aircraft hit the slope of Blue Mountain located west of Blairstown, in the Kittatinny Mountain Range. The wreckage was located 100 feet from the summit, at an altitude of 1,500 feet, and all seven crew members were killed.