Patuxent River NAS

A Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, N27944, operated by Patuxent Airways, Inc., Hollywood, Maryland, and a Piper PA-44-180 Seminole, N2225G, operated by Hortman Aviation Services, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were destroyed when they collided in flight over Burlington Township, New Jersey. The airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, and seven passengers aboard the Navajo Chieftain were killed, as were the flight instructor and the private pilot aboard the Seminole. Day visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident, and both airplanes were operating under visual flight rules when the collision occurred. The flight crews of both airplanes were properly certificated and qualified in accordance with applicable Federal regulations. None of these individuals was experiencing any personal problems or rest anomalies that would have affected their performance. The airplanes had undergone the required inspections. Examination of their maintenance documents revealed that both airplanes complied with all appropriate airworthiness directives. Evidence gathered from the wreckage indicated that neither airplane had experienced an in-flight fire, bird strike, or structural or mechanical failure. Tissue samples revealed that the pilot of the Seminole had taken doxylamine sometime before the accident. (Doxylamine is a sedating antihistamine that has substantial adverse effects on performance.) However, the amount of blood available for analysis was insufficient for determining exactly when the pilot may have ingested the medication or whether his performance was impaired by the effects of doxylamine. A partial cockpit visibility study revealed that the Seminole would have been visible to the pilots in the Chieftain for at least the 60 seconds before the collision. No stereo photographs from a Seminole cockpit were available to determine precise obstruction angles. However, because of the relative viewing angle, the Chieftain would have been visible to the pilots in the Seminole for most of the last 60 seconds. The study further revealed that about 4 seconds before impact, or about .11 nm separation, the angular width of each airplane in each pilot's field of vision would have been approximately 0.5 to 0.6 degrees or about 1/4 inch apparent size at the windscreen.

Following an uneventful flight from Davison AAF (Fort Belvoir), the aircraft was approaching Patuxent River NAS when, at a height of about 800 feet, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in the Chesapeake Bay. The wreckage sank by a depth of 45 feet and was found less than 100 yards offshore. All five crew members were killed. The aircraft was operated by the US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) and carried both civil N296CA and military 88-0321 registrations.

Navy Hercules 151890 had flown for over three months with a maintenance discrepancy on the number one fuel tank quantity indicator. Before the mishap flight, another attempt was made to repair the solder connections in the cannon plug. Maintenance personnel were unable to satisfactorily complete the repair in the time available before that days flight. They hurriedly reassembled the cannon plug and verbally warned the oncoming flight engineer to leave the number one fuel tank quantity indicator system circuit breaker out to prevent the indicator motor from running and ruining the internal clutch. The aircraft then flew four flights prior to the accident. The verbal warning was passed between flight engineers, except on the fourth flight. While conducting preflight procedures the fourth flight engineer noticed the circuit breaker to be out and reset it. The circuit breaker popped within seconds and was then left out for the flight back to home field. The circuit breaker was reset by an unknown person between the time the aircraft landed and the preflight the next day by the mishap crew. Shortly after takeoff from Patuxent River-NAS, MD (NHK), while climbing through 7500 feet, an explosion occurred in the outboard part of the left wing. A fire erupted. The no. 1 engine was shut down and the extinguisher bottles fired. The crew was unable to control the fire. Control difficulties forced the pilot to carry out a forced landing. An emergency descent was flown at a speed of 270 kts IAS and a forced landing was made in a corn field. After the aircraft came to rest, the fire burned for 36 minutes. The fire continued burning aft and inboard before it was extinguished by a local volunteer fire department.

The four engine aircraft crashed on landing for unknown reason. There were no casualties but the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

The crew departed Patuxent River NAS on a night exercise with a US Marine Ship. While cruising at an altitude of 500 feet, the airplane nosed down and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, some 231 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Few debris and the dead body of the captain were found floating on water. No trace of the rest of the crew was found.

On approach to Patuxent River NAS, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls. In low visibility, the aircraft was too low and struck the ground before coming to rest in flames few hundred yards short of runway threshold. Five occupants were killed while 14 others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

While approaching Argentia NAS on a flight from Patuxent River NAS, the crew did not realize his altitude was insufficient. On final, the four engine aircraft crashed into the Bay of Placentia, about 1,000 feet short of runway threshold. Eleven occupants were killed while 18 others were injured, some of them seriously. The aircraft was destroyed.

After the crew completed several touch-and-go manoeuvres at Patuxent River NAS, he started a new descent in poor visibility due to foggy conditions. On final, the four engine airplane struck trees and crashed in flames short of runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all nine crew members were killed. It appears the crew descended too low in marginal weather conditions.

The crew left Patuxent River NAS bound for Antarctica, taking part to a SAR mission after a US Navy UC-1 Otter was missing since February 3. While approaching the Venezuelan coast, the right engine failed. The captain elected to divert to Piarco Airport in Trinidad & Tobago when the left engine failed shortly later. While 15 miles off shore, he decided to reach the coast and eventually completed an emergency landing in a uninhabited area located in the north side of the State of Delta Amacuro. On touchdown, the aircraft struck trees, lost its both wings and came to rest, broken in two. All eight crew members were rescued and evacuated safely.

While cruising by night over the Prince Edward Island, the crew informed ATC about a dual engine failure and elected to return to Stephenville-Ernest Harmon Airport. While approaching Newfoundland, the airplane went out of control and crashed into the gulf of Saint-Laurent off Codroy, about 112 km southwest of Stephenville. All 13 occupants were killed.