Piper PA-11 accident near Van Hornsville, New York, November 11, 2006
On November 11, 2006 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-11, registered N4549M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Van Hornsville, New York (Van Hornsville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 2006 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Van Hornsville, New York · Van Hornsville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-11 · all PA-11s on the register
- Registration
- N4549M · registry record · serial 11-49
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, while he was on final approach to the grass runway which he owned, he observed a truck on a perpendicular road to the runway. The pilot stated that his attention must have been concentrated on the truck, since the airplane drifted right and the right wing contacted a tree, prior to the airplane impacting the ground. The pilot reported no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,109 hours in all; 1,900 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,936 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Van Hornsville NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 1,100 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from UCA, 21 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.
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.