Piper PA28 accident near Beverly, Massachusetts, March 12, 2020
On March 12, 2020 at about 8:22 pm local time, a 2007 Piper PA28, registered N656ST, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Beverly, Massachusetts (Beverly Rgnl airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to carburetor icing, and the student pilot’s failure to utilize carburetor heat in conditions conducive to carburetor icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 12, 2020 · about 8:22 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Beverly, Massachusetts · Beverly Rgnl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 181, built 2007 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N656ST · no longer on the register · serial 2843656
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot performed a power-off approach and touch-and-go landing, and during the initial climb, the engine lost partial power. He made a left turn to land on another runway at the airport; however, the airplane did not touch down until it was about ¾ down the runway. The airplane continued off the runway and came to rest in trees past the airport perimeter fence, resulting in substantial damage to the wings, horizontal stabilizer, and engine mounts. An examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical anomalies. The airplane was equipped with a carburetor ice detection system and both the control box and carburetor heat control lever were found in the off position. The pilot did not report using the carburetor heat during the flight. The atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing at cruise power. Since no anomalies were noted during the engine examination, it is likely that the loss of engine power was a result of carburetor icing.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing
- Fuel related during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Not specified other cases naming the engine
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not used/operated other cases naming the heating, ice protection and utility systems
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 38 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,114 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 4, 2020; 15.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 4,833 hours total
- Operator: Beverly Flight Center Inc
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,755 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from BVY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD Investigative Photographs Peter Wentz Air Safety Investigator Eastern Region Aviation Photograph 1 – Accident site (photo provided the FAA).
Photograph 2 – Accident airplane – Right side of airplane in tree (photo provided the FAA). Photograph 3 – Accident airplane – Right side cockpit door and engine. (Photo provided Beverly Flight Center).
Photograph 4 – Accident airplane –Right side engine. (Photo provided Beverly Flight Center). Photograph 5 – Accident airplane – Cockpit instrument panel (Carb Ice light). (Photo provided Beverly Flight Center).
Photograph 6 – Accident airplane – Cockpit instrument panel (Carb Ice sensitivity control). (Photo provided Beverly Flight Center).The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on March 17, 2022. 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/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Student Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot Operating Handbook (Excerpt) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Logbook Excerpts | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Engine Examination | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Meteorology Factual | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | Cockpit Display - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Attachment 1 to Cockpit Display - Specialist's Factual Report -- Tabular Data | data file | Download |
| 10 | Attachment 2 to Cockpit Display - Specialist's Factual Report -- Tabular Data | data file | Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N656ST: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Warrior, Archer and Arrow 18,639 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,848 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M 418 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Beverly Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Massachusetts 987 since 1982 · 91 in the last ten years
- Massachusetts 2,649 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA20LA126.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.