Piper PA-28-181 accident near Mattituck, New York, July 21, 2001
On July 21, 2001 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N17AV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mattituck, New York (Mattituck Airbase 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 failure to attain a proper touchdown point. A factor was the tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2001 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Mattituck, New York · Mattituck Airbase · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N17AV · registry record · serial 28-8390078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot followed another airplane into the airport, and landed about halfway down the 2,200-foot runway at a high rate of speed. The airplane then departed the end of the runway at 10-15 mph. The pilot stated that the windsock indicated winds varying from approximately 35-80 degrees off the runway heading, but that during the approach, the wind shifted to a tailwind. Recorded winds at an airport 10 nautical miles away also indicated a tailwind. According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook, at 2,500 pounds, with a full-stall touchdown and full flaps in a zero wind, the airplane should have required about 950 feet of runway. With a 5-knot tailwind, it should have required about 1,280 feet of 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 821 hours in all; 522 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 763 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 6, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 31, 2001; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BDR Bridgeport CT at 5:40 pm
- Destination: 21N Mattituck NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 2,200 ft by 130 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from FOK, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC01LA182.