Piper PA-32-300 accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts, August 26, 2000
On August 26, 2000 at about 3:45 am local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N8133Z, was destroyed in an accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts (Nantucket Memorial 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain the proper glide path to the runway. Factors related to the accident were the fog conditions and the pilot’s fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2000 · about 3:45 am local time
- Place
- Nantucket, Massachusetts · Nantucket Memorial
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N8133Z · registry record · serial 32-7940272
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had been awake for most of the day. Prior to the flight, the pilot's wife had been injured and was medically treated and released from a hospital. The pilot and his wife departed on a visual flight rules flight plan and proceeded eastbound. As the airplane neared the destination airport, the pilot could see the entire island and airport, but filed an IFR flight plan with a Flight Service Station due to the "widely scattered, low, ground fog" in the area. While on an ILS approach, the pilot noticed that there was a patch of ground fog around the approach lights, but the entire runway surface and lights were visible. He then "descended early" and the right main landing gear struck an approach light stanchion, shearing the gear assembly off. The airplane touched down on the runway, slid about 200 feet, came to rest, and a fire ensued. Inspection of the instrument landing system the day after the accident revealed no anomalies. The weather about the time of the accident was, winds from 280 at 3 knots, 1/4 mile visibility, fog, vertical visibility 100 feet.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,580 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,905 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 2000; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K165 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SEG Selinsgrove PA at 1:15 am
- Destination: ACK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 6,303 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:36 am from ACK
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.