Piper PA 11S accident near Marlboro, Massachusetts, March 1, 2014
On March 1, 2014 at about 4:45 pm local time, a 1949 Piper PA 11S, registered N5556H, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Marlboro, Massachusetts (Marlboro airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of directional control during the landing rollout in crosswinds, resulting in a runway excursion and subsequent impact with a snow bank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 1, 2014 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Marlboro, Massachusetts · Marlboro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 11S, built 1949 · all PA 11Ss on the register
- Registration
- N5556H · registry record · serial 11-1067
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was regaining his 90-day passenger-carrying privileges since his most recent flight was about 5 months prior to the accident. He had performed one landing successfully, and on the second landing, the airplane touched down on all three wheels and was decelerating. The airplane subsequently veered to the left, departed the left side of the runway, struck a snowbank, and came to rest resulting in substantial damage to the wing strut, firewall, and fuselage. The pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that the wind was from the left at 5 to 10 knots and occasionally was gusting to 15 knots. He also reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Snowy/icy › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent experience › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,639 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 6,393 as pilot in command; 4,962 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,378 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9B1 Marlboro MA
- Destination: 9B1 Marlboro MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 1,659 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from KBED, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA14CA139.