Piper PA-28-161 accident near East Taunton, Massachusetts, January 29, 1992
On January 29, 1992 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8379N, was destroyed in an accident near East Taunton, Massachusetts (Taunton Muni airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT BY THE DUAL STUDENT AND INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI), WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION DUE TO AN INADEQUATE SUPPLY OF FUEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 1992 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- East Taunton, Massachusetts · Taunton Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8379N · no longer on the register · serial 28-8116213
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED ON RUNWAY 12, BUT THE AIRPLANE CLIPPED TREES, HIT A HOUSE AND COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN/WATER SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. ACCORDING TO AIRPORT FUELING RECORDS AND THE HOBBS METER READING, THE AIRPLANE HAD FLOWN FOR APPROXIMATELY 5.2 HOURS SINCE IT LAST RECEIVED FUEL. AN ON SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THERE WAS NO RESIDUAL FUEL IN THE CARBURETOR, AND APPROXIMATELY ONE PINT OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL TANKS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 492 hours in all; 201 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 338 as pilot in command; 182 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,663 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 31, 1991; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: King Aviation Services
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 3,486 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from PVD, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.