What happened
On December 12, 2024, a Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam P2008, registration N298PM, was involved in an accident near Greenwich, Connecticut, resulting in 1 fatal and 1 serious injury.
The flight departed Linden Airport (LDJ) in New Jersey at approximately 1809 EST, flying north over the Hudson River. During the flight, the crew contacted LaGuardia air traffic control to report they were en route to Albany, New York. At 1839, the pilot notified controllers that the aircraft was losing engine power and requested a diversion to Westchester County Airport (HPN). After being cleared to climb to 3,500 feet, the crew later reported that switching fuel tanks appeared to have restored engine power, though they subsequently indicated the engine was losing power again at 1842 while 4.7 nautical miles northwest of HPN runway 16.
Airport surveillance video from HPN showed the aircraft performing a steep left turn and descending over Interstate I-684, followed by a rapid climb and a steep descent below the tree line. A witness traveling south on I-684 observed the aircraft fall rapidly into the center median. The witness reported that the engine did not make any unusual sound and could not confirm if the propeller was rotating. The witness was able to remove one occupant from the aircraft prior to the arrival of police.
The investigation
The aircraft came to rest upright in the median of I-684. Post-accident examination of the wreckage showed that the left fuel tank drain sump area was breached, causing a fuel leak; however, the left tank contained only 0.3 gallons of 100LL fuel, while the right tank contained approximately 9 gallons.
An examination of the flight controls for pitch, roll, and yaw showed no evidence of malfunction or failure prior to impact. An initial inspection of the engine found no evidence of catastrophic mechanical failure. The NTSB retained the wreckage, two personal electronic devices, and two Garmin electronic flight displays with SD cards for further analysis.