Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601) crash, Nov 28, 1978 (3 killed)
Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601) accident on November 28, 1978 near Hartford-Brainard Connecticut, United States with 3 fatalities. Cause:...
- Date: November 28, 1978
- Aircraft: Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601)
- Location: Hartford-Brainard Connecticut, United States
- Fatalities: 3
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Uncontrolled collision with the ground following loss of power from both engines. Contributing factors were an overheated left engine piston and an erratic right turbocharger gate.
On 28 November 1978 a Piper PA-61 Aerostar (Ted Smith 601) N8999A took off from Hartford-Brainard, Connecticut. While climbing, the left engine failed and the right engine lost power. The pilot attempted an emergency landing after control was lost, and the aircraft crashed a few miles from the airfield, killing all three occupants. The NTSB investigated under report NYC79FA014.