Shrub Oak Plane Crash Caused by Mechanical Failure

YORKTOWN, N.Y.—The cause of the emergency crash landing of a Cessna airplane at the Shrub Oak International School last summer has been attributed to partial engine failure.

On June 29, 2023, the plane was flying from the Westchester County Airport in White Plains to the Orange County Airport in Montgomery when mechanical difficulties affected the plane’s ability to maintain or gain altitude.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER

The pilot, 66-year-old Belal Hossain of Tuckahoe, was flying the plane to the Orange County Airport for an annual inspection. In the early afternoon on the day of the crash, Hossain’s engine began to lose power, leading to a forced landing in the school’s field on Stony Street.

Hossain was conscious, alert, and sustained minor injuries in the crash, according to police, and the school was placed under lockdown.

According to the aviation investigation’s final report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the crash was caused by partial loss of engine power due to a fatigue failure in the turbocharger housing. The engine examination after the accident showed that the diesel engine’s turbocharger induction housing was fractured in half and showed signs of an existing fractured surface.

Per the NTSB report, the plane (a Diamond DA40 NG) had last been inspected in June 2022 with 740 hours of operation since the plane was manufactured in 2017. The turbocharger was visually inspected and lubricated as needed, according to the airplane’s 2022 inspection maintenance records.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TAPINTO APP FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS. AVAILABLE IN THE APPLE STORE AND THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE .

In addition to the NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was notified of the crash. Numerous agencies responded, including the Westchester Department of Emergency Services, Westchester County Department of Public Safety and New York State Police, Mohegan Lake Professional and Volunteer Fire Department, Mohegan Lake Volunteer Ambulance Corps and Empress Paramedics.

There was “no criminality or anything suspicious” associated with the hard landing as determined by investigators in the crash.

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net