Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Milford, Connecticut, December 30, 2001
On December 30, 2001 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-180, registered N7427J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Milford, Connecticut (Igor I. Sikorsky Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow the published IFR approach procedure, which resulted in a premature descent and subsequent impact with water. A factor was the night, overwater visual conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 2001 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Milford, Connecticut · Igor I. Sikorsky Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · all PA-28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7427J · no longer on the register · serial 28R-30771
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a night cross-country flight, with the destination airport located on the northern coast of Long Island Sound. He arrived from the northwest, but could not locate the airport. After several conversations with the tower controller, he was switched to approach control, and subsequently issued a clearance for the VOR Runway 29 approach. The pilot's last transmission was that he was abeam the final approach fix. Radar data indicated that the airplane proceeded off the coast about 8 miles east of the airport before initiating a gradual, descending right turn back towards the airport. During the last 2 minutes, the airplane was on a general heading of 300 degrees, descending about 1,300 feet per minute. The last radar contact, when the airplane was 200 feet above the water, was about 350 degrees magnetic, 3/4 nautical mile from the final approach fix. The final approach course was 275 degrees, and included a decision altitude of 380 feet. The frequency dialed into the airplane's VOR receiver was the same as the VOR. The night meteorological conditions included clear skies, a visibility of 10 statute miles, and a moon illumination of 99 per cent. Another pilot who was flying in the area at the same time reported that the moon and the city lights were "bright" at the time of the accident, and the airport runway lights were easily identifiable. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,520 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 336.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 2001; 83.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BKL Cleveland OH at 8:20 pm
- Destination: BDR Bridgeport CT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29, 4,761 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 300° at 13 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from BDR, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N7427J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.