Piper PA-31 accident near Bennington, Vermont, June 28, 1982
On June 28, 1982 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-31, registered N620WF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bennington, Vermont (Bennington State airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 1982 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bennington, Vermont · Bennington State
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31 · all PA-31s on the register
- Registration
- N620WF · registry record · serial 31-17
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON APPROACH TO LAND, THE PILOT NOTICED THE AIRCRAFT'S GEAR WARNING LIGHTS WERE OUT AND THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE TRIPPED. THE PILOT ADVISED OPERATIONS AND STARTED A FLY-BY WHEN HE NOTICED A FIRE IN THE LEFT ENGINE. THE PILOT FEATHERED THE LEFT ENGINE AND THE FIRE WENT OUT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDED SAFELY. THE FIRE HAD DAMAGED THE GEARWARNING SYSTEM. A TURBO OUTLET CLAMP HAD BROKEN IN THE LEFT ENGINE, PIPER P/N 556962.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 1,850 in this make and model; 117 in the last 90 days; 4,995 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,056 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TSIO-540A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bennington Aviation, INC
The flight
- Departed from: BUF Buffalo NY at 5:00 pm
- Destination: Mack CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from ALB, 27 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.