Piper PA-30 accident near Corning, New York, December 11, 1985
On December 11, 1985 at about 3:23 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N7770Y, was destroyed in an accident near Corning, New York (Elmira airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 1985 · about 3:23 pm local time
- Place
- Corning, New York · Elmira · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N7770Y · no longer on the register · serial 30-856
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ILS RUNWAY 6 APPROACH ACFT HIT HIGH TERRAIN SHORT OF THE OUTER MARKER. WHEN ON DOWNWIND FOR APPROACH PILOT SAID HE WAS NOT RECEIVING THE LOCALIZER AND ASKED FOR A SURVEILLANCE APPROACH. CONTROLLER SAID HE COULD NOT PROVIDE. WHEN CLEARED FOR THE ILS APPROACH PILOT SAID HE WAS EXPECTING AN APPROACH TO ELMIRA. CONTROLLER SAID HE WAS GETTING APPROACH TO ELMIRA AND REPEATED CLEARANCE. PILOT SAID HE HAD AN APPROACH CHART FOR RUNWAY 24 BUT NOT 6. HE WAS GIVEN LOCALIZER FREQ. AND LATER REPORTED ON THE LOCALIZER COURSE. RADAR DISPLAY INDICATED SAME. POST CRASH TESTING SHOWED GLIDE SLOPE RECEIVER IN ACFT WAS OUT OF ADJUSTMENT BUT CAPABLE OF FUNCTIONING. ACFT APPEARED TO HAVE FLOWN INTO TREES IN LEVEL ATTITUDE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,719 hours in all; 35 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,601 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,009 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 1985; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-BIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LDJ Linden NJ at 2:02 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 6
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:30 pm from ELM, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.