Piper PA-28-180 accident near Canton, Connecticut, November 19, 2012
On November 19, 2012 at about 11:24 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N8826J, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Canton, Connecticut (Simsbury Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain while performing a night visual approach to an airport. Contributing to the accident were the dark night and the pilot's lack of recent experience flying at night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 2012 · about 11:24 pm local time
- Place
- Canton, Connecticut · Simsbury Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N8826J · no longer on the register · serial 28-2781
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was flying to the destination airport at night on the second day of a long cross-country trip. Radar data showed that when the airplane was about 12 miles from the destination airport, it began to descend. The airplane eventually descended into trees and terrain about 6 miles from the destination airport, at an elevation nearly 400 feet below the airport's traffic pattern altitude, and 1,400 feet below the maximum elevation figure published for that area. A state police helicopter dispatched to search for the airplane following the accident reported that the terrain surrounding the accident site was "surprisingly" dark, and that some of the only nearby ground lighting came from a parking lot about 1 mile beyond the accident location and along the airplane’s course . According to the aeronautical information manual, lights along a straight path can easily be mistaken for runway lights at night. The pilot’s logbook indicated that he had flown 1 hour at night in the accident airplane in the preceding year. Given the pilot's lack of recent night flying experience, it is possible that he initiated the early descent because he had mistaken the nearby parking lot lights for those of the destination airport. Postaccident examination of the airplane showed no evidence of preaccident failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Altitude deviation during approach
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Contributed to outcome
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent experience › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 962 hours in all; 913 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 786 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 20, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,702 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2012; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTW Pottstown PA at 10:00 pm
- Destination: 4B9 Simsbury CT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 010° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from BDL, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
15 documents, released by the NTSB on August 22, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot's Logbook | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Aircraft Maintenance Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | radar Plots | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | ATC Transcript | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Maps or Charts of Accident Area, Wreckage Diagrams | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum for Record (Ct State Police) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Fuel Receipts | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Memorandum for Record (Weather) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Photograph #1: Bottom View of Airplane | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Photograph #2: Front View of Airplane | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Photograph #3: Section of Right Wing | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Photograph #4: Front View of Engine | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 14 | Certification of Party Representative | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 15 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.