Piper PA-28-140 accident near Newport, Vermont, June 7, 2014
On June 7, 2014 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1972 Piper PA-28-140, registered N5169T, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Newport, Vermont (Newport State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during an aborted landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and collision with the ground. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's alcohol impairment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 2014 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Newport, Vermont · Newport State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140, built 1972 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N5169T · no longer on the register · serial 28-7225348
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was returning to his home airport after a local flight that lasted about 2 hours. On his first attempted landing, the pilot conducted a go-around. The pilot said that he was "high and fast" on the second attempt, even though the runway was equipped with a 2-light precision approach path indicator which would have given the pilot guidance to touch down with the first one-third of the runway. The airplane touched down about 3,000 feet down the 3,998-foot runway. The pilot then applied full power to abort the landing. After lifting off, the airplane pitched up, and, according to the pilot, the engine failed. About 200 feet above ground level, the airplane banked left and settled back toward the ground; it then impacted the ground and slid to a stop about 850 feet off the end of the runway. Immediately after the accident, the pilot exited the wreckage and was observed leaving the airport. A postaccident examination and test run of the engine revealed no evidence of any anomalies that would have precluded normal engine operation. According to a witness, on the morning of the accident, she observed the pilot consume 12 to 16 alcoholic beverages between 0745 and 1230 when the pilot left to meet his passenger for the flight. After the accident, the Vermont State Police made contact with the pilot at his residence, where he refused a breathalyzer test. Given the airplane's performance during and after the pitch up, and the absence of any indications of an engine anomaly, the airplane likely entered an aerodynamic stall; the pilot's failure to adequately maintain airspeed and pitch control after the aborted landing, which resulted in the stall, was likely related to his consumption of alcohol.
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
- Abrupt maneuver during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 604 hours in all; 525 in this make and model; 550 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EFK Newport VT
- Destination: EFK Newport VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,998 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from EFK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.