Piper PA-24-250 accident near Shirley, New York, August 17, 2024
On August 17, 2024 at about 7:49 pm local time, a 1961 Piper PA-24-250, registered N7531P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Shirley, New York (Brookhaven airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s excessive speed during the final approach, which resulted in a collision with a fence during the subsequent aborted landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2024 · about 7:49 pm local time
- Place
- Shirley, New York · Brookhaven · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250, built 1961 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N7531P · no longer on the register · serial 24-2735
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the enroute portion of the cross-country flight was uneventful. He set up for an approach the 4,200-ft-long runway. He stated that he landed at the normal touchdown point, about 1,000 feet down the runway. When he applied wheel brakes, they did not respond enough to sufficiently slow the airplane. He then elected to abort the landing, but the airplane did not obtain enough lift and settled back toward the ground. The airplane contacted a perimeter fence and came to a stop in a grassy area. The pilot and the three passengers exited the airplane without injury and were met by first responders. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that there was substantial damage to the airplane’s wings, fuselage, and empennage. When asked to provide additional information about the wheel brakes, the pilot reported that he did not have an opinion either way whether the brakes malfunctioned. The FAA reported that damage to the airframe precluded a functional check of the brake system. A review of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast track data revealed that the airplane’s ground speed on final approach (about 625 feet from the runway) reached about 132 mph. The pilot’s operating handbook for the airplane specified an approach airspeed of 82 mph. Additionally, the weather conditions at the airport at the time of landing included 3-knot tailwind for the landing runway.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing defining event
- Collision during takeoff/land during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 956 hours in all; 746 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 780 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 15, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
Passenger
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,073 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 2024; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1D5 (piston); 4,077 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MVY Martha'S Vineyard MA at 6:58 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 4,201 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:49 pm from KHWV
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KHWV 171949Z AUTO 13009KT 9SM BKN013 23/19 A3001 RMK AO2 T02330189
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Main Wreckage
Photograph 2 – Aft Fuselage and Empennage
Photograph 3 – Propeller DamageThe 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
9 documents, released by the NTSB on December 19, 2024. 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 | NTSB Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Mor FAA Correspondence | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | NTSB Mor - Khwv Weather Data | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | ADS-B Data | data file | Download |
| 6 | ADS-B Track Kmz File | map file | Download |
| 7 | ADS-B Track - Final Approach | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | POH Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | 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.