Piper PA-28-140 accident near Newcomb, New York, November 15, 2009
On November 15, 2009 at about 10:11 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N1723T, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Newcomb, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain during descent at night, with low clouds and fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 2009 · about 10:11 pm local time
- Place
- Newcomb, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N1723T · no longer on the register · serial 28-7125035
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger were returning home on a night cross-country flight. The flight did not arrive and a search for the airplane ensued. The wreckage was found about 47 nautical miles from the destination airport, on the south side of a 4,600-foot mountain, about 600 feet below its peak. The initial impact area was a rock ledge, and a majority of the cabin and fuselage was consumed by postcrash fire. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preexisting mechanical anomalies and propeller signatures were indicative of engine power at impact. A portable global positioning system unit was found at the accident site; the data for the flight revealed that the airplane was in a shallow descent and on an approximate heading to the destination airport at the time of the accident. Although the exact weather conditions at the accident site were not determined, low clouds and fog were reported in the vicinity at the time of the accident. The accident occurred about 10 minutes after the end of civil twilight and there was no discernable moonlight at the time of the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (descent) defining event
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Clouds › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,750 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
Crew member
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 205 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,989 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Malone Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: 5B2 Saratoga Sprngs NY at 9:25 pm
- Destination: MAL Malone NY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 100 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 10:09 pm from SLK, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.