Piper PA-31-350 accident near Ticonderoga, New York, July 10, 2004
On July 10, 2004 at about 12:58 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N45032, was destroyed in an accident near Ticonderoga, New York (Ticonderoga Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under rules the NTSB did not record. 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Reason for occurrence undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2004 · about 12:58 pm local time
- Place
- Ticonderoga, New York · Ticonderoga Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N45032 · no longer on the register · serial 31-8052199
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · rules the NTSB did not record
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane, which was not operating on a flight plan, was proceeding in clear skies to an airport where the passenger was joining his wife. After crossing a lake near the destination, the airplane flew over rising terrain, along a saddleback, until it struck a stand of old-growth trees that jutted above new-growth trees. During the last 48 seconds of radar coverage, the airplane climbed 600 feet with no erratic course deviations. From the accident location, the airport would have been about 5 nautical miles off the airplane's right wing. The pilot had 32,000 hours of flight experience. The passenger was under investigation for fraud, and attempted to obtain life insurance prior to the flight. The passenger had also loaned money to the pilot, and was receiving "flight services" in lieu of cash payment when the pilot failed to pay back the loan. A .380 caliber pistol magazine was found at the accident site with two rounds of ammunition missing; however, no weapon was located at the site, and no weapon of that caliber was known to be associated with either the pilot or the passenger. Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) were found on electrocardiograms performed in conjunction with the pilot's airman medical certificate applications in 2002 and 2004. The pilot's autopsy report indicated "severe calcific...coronary disease, with 90 percent narrowing of the left anterior descending coronary artery and 75 percent narrowing of the right coronary artery." Cause of death, for both the pilot and passenger, was listed as "undetermined." The autopsy reports also noted that, "due to the inability to perform a complete autopsy...of either of the two aircraft occupants, it cannot be determined whether either the pilot or the passenger were alive or dead at the time of the crash." Postaccident inspection of the airplane disclosed no evidence of any preimpact anomalies. This narrative was modified on April 25, 2007.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 32,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,159 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Capital Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: OXC Oxford CT
- Destination: 4B6 Ticonderoga NY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from GFL, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.