Parents Die In Crash, Children Injured

A husband and wife are reported dead, and their two teenage children hurt, after a Piper Seneca went down on approach to the airport in Old Bridge, NJ Sunday night.

The accident occurred at approximately 10:20 pm, as the Seneca was on approach to Old Bridge Airport (3N6) in dense fog when it apparently missed the runway. The Seneca slammed into a grove of trees near Old Bridge Township Raceway, a dragstrip adjacent to the field. One police officer described the crash site as "pretty horrific."

Old Bridge police identified the victims as Steve Ben Hanania, 57, and his wife, Shirri. Their children -- a boy, 12, and a 13-year-old girl were said to be in "critical, but stable" condition today at a New Brunswick hospital.

Police added the teenagers "are not responsive at this point." The family was reportedly returning from a family gathering in Lake Worth, FL.

The FAA registry lists the aircraft, N8446F, as registered to Steve Ben Hanania.

There's no word yet on the cause of the crash or whether there was any sort of distress call before the Seneca went down. The NTSB and FAA will investigate.

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IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 8446F        Make/Model: PA34      Description: PA-34 Seneca
  Date: 03/13/2006     Time: 0400

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: OLD BRIDGE   State: NJ   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES 1/4 MILE FROM THE AIRPORT, THERE WERE FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD, TWO WERE FATALLY INJURED AND TWO WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED, OLD BRIDGE, NJ

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   2
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   3     Fat:   1     Ser:   2     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA

  Departed:                             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination:                          Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: TETERBORO, NJ  (EA25)                 Entry date: 03/13/2006

FMI: www.ntsb.gov