An investigation concluded that maintenance personnel most likely did not sufficiently tighten the nuts and bolts holding two of the engine's cylinders in place.
CRESSKILL — A heroic pilot's forced crash landing of a small plane in Cresskill this fall was likely caused by inadequate engine maintenance, according to a report recently issued by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Maintenance personnel most likely did not sufficiently tighten the nuts and bolts holding two of the engine's cylinders in place, the NTSB said in a summary available online.
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A small plane crashed in Cresskill on Sept. 3, 2015, officials said (Courtesy of Marcelo DeMoraes) This led to "the loosening of the components, loss of lubrication, failure of the crankshaft, and the subsequent total loss of engine power," the board said.
The latest report, issued in April, noted that upon later examination of the engine, the cylinder flange nuts were found to be "below factory specifications."
The two cylinders were removed and reinstalled on May 11, 2012, and the plane's engine accrued 231.5 flying hours since then, according to the report.
The plane was destroyed when it crashed near the town's public pool Sept. 3 around 5 p.m.
The pilot and a passenger were both seriously injured, but the injuries were not deemed life-threatening.
In September, a preliminary investigation by the NTSB revealed that the pilot, Jack Rosenberg, was flying an observation mission as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, when he lost power 2,000 feet above the Hudson River.
'We lost the engine completely,' pilot says before N.J. crash landing
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U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary pilot Yakov Rosenberg was seriously injured in a crash-landing in Cresskill Sept. 3, 2015, officials said. (Courtesy of Mayer Berger) Rosenberg has been praised for quick-thinking that helped him avoid greater disaster despite personal injury.
According to the NTSB, the pilot planned to land in Cresskill after seeing the town's open athletic fields. When he realized that people were using the fields, Rosenberg was forced to crash land in a smaller area, the report said.
Two Tenafly High school cross-country runners, who both had been on the school field Rosenberg avoided, later visited the pilot at Hackensack University Medical Center to thank him, The Record reported.
Rosenberg had 648 total hours of flight experience, including 382 hours in the accident airplane make and model, according to the FAA.
The plane's most recent annual inspection was July 17, the NTSB said.
Laura Herzog may be reached at lherzog@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LauraHerzogL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
