Cockpit Smoke Reported 2 Months Before Fatal LI Plane Crash: NTSB

LINDENHURST, NY — The pilot of the plane that crashed in Lindenhurst earlier this month reported seeing smoke in the cockpit just before the crash, and maintenance logs showed the plane previously had smoke in the cockpit as recently as January.

That's according to a preliminary report published Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

As Patch previously reported, a Piper PA-28 crashed around 3 p.m. March 5. Roma Gupta, 63, of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, died in the crash.

Her 33-year-old daughter was hurt, as was the 23-year-old pilot. The two remain in critical condition with severe burns at Stony Brook University Hospital, Newsday reported.

See also:

• Woman, Daughter, and Pilot ID'd In LI Fatal Plane Crash: Police
• 1 Dead, 2 Injured In Small Plane Crash On Long Island: Police

The "discovery flight" was a gift from the daughter to her mother, the NTSB said.

The plane took off from Republic Airport in Farmingdale and flew southeast over the Atlantic Ocean, then returned toward the airport. As the plane flew, the instructor told the control tower he saw smoke in the cockpit and requested an immediate landing. The controller told the pilot to continue straight-in for the runway.

As the plane made a two-mile final approach to the runway, the instructor issued a "mayday" transmission, the NTSB said, and the plane turned left. The controller reissued the landing clearance, but the plane continued its rapid descent, and smoke billowed out of the left side of the plane as it crashed.

"Doorbell and surveillance cameras in the vicinity of the accident site recorded the airplane at low altitude and a shallow descent angle as it entered trees, shed sheet metal and major structure, ignited spilled fuel, impacted terrain, and rotated 180°, where it came to rest upright, engulfed in flames," the report said.

Emergency vehicles that were waiting at the airport immediately began searching for the plane after the crash, the NTSB report said.

The plane crashed into a tree about 60 feet above the ground, and sheet metal, a section of aileron, wingtip fairing, position lights, and angularly-cut branches were scattered along the wreckage path, the report said. The engine cowling came to a rest against a tree trunk. The engine cowling showed no evidence of fire on its inside or outside surfaces, the report said. The main wreckage came to rest upright and was severely damaged by fire.

The preliminary report said the airplane had completed numerous left, right, and 360-degree turns. The plane had a Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160-horsepower engine, which underwent a 100-hour inspection Jan. 4.

The flight instructor had a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument airplane. He also had a flight instructor certificate with a rating for airplane single engine, and his most recent FAA 3rd class medical certificate was issued in August 2019. The instructor’s pilot logbook was found in the wreckage, mostly destroyed by fire, the NTSB said. An entry in the plane's maintenance logbook dated Jan. 16 showed the pilot also reported smoke in the cockpit during a Jan. 7 flight. The issue was resolved, and the plane was returned to service.

"Pilot reports smoke in cockpit during flight on 01/07/2023. After troubleshooting, flown and tested. Aircraft returned to service with no smoke," the entry said, according to the report.

The report also indicated that the most recent entry in the logbook before the accident was a 50-hour inspection completed Feb. 27.

The main wreckage came to a rest upright, facing approximately opposite the direction of travel.