Piper PA-23-250 accident near West Seneca, New York, November 9, 1983
On November 9, 1983 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N4708P, was destroyed in an accident near West Seneca, New York (Buffalo Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- November 9, 1983 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- West Seneca, New York · Buffalo Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N4708P · no longer on the register · serial 237
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS BEING REPOSITIONED BY THE OWNER FROM A MAINTENANCE FACILITY AT BUFFALO INTL ARPT TO BUFFALO AIRPARK. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL AT BOTH LOCATIONS WHO HAD DEALT WITH THE OWNER INDICATED HE HAD ATTEMPTED TO CUT COSTS BY PERFORMING UNAUTHORIZED REPAIRS HIMSELF. THESE REPAIRS WERE NOT COMPLETE PRIOR TO DEPARTING BUFFALO INTL. THE PLT OF N4708P ABORTED HIS FIRST TKOF STATING TO THE TWR '...I HAD A LITTLE MISS.' WITNESSES STATED THAT DURING THE SECOND TKOF THE ACFT CLIMBED TO ABT 50 FT THEN LOST ALT WITH THE NOSE PITCHING DOWN. THE RATE OF DESCENT WAS ARRESTED BEFORE GD CONTACT AND A SLOW 'MUSHY' CLIMB WAS INITIATED. THE ACFT NEVER EXCEEDED 300 FT ALT IN THE 5 MILE FLT TO BUFFALO AIRPARK. IT WAS OBSVD BY THE TWR SUPERVISOR TO OSCILLATE NOSE UP AND DOWN AFT EXTENDING THE LNDG GR FOLLOWED BY ROLLING TO THE RT AND SPINNING INTO THE GD APPROX 1 MILE E OF BUFFALO AIRPARK. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PLT HAD ACCUMULATED APPROX 50 HOURS TIME IN PA-23'S, 28 HOURS AS PIC AND 5 HOURS IN THE LAST 90 DAYS.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 375 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 225 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,366 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 20, 1982; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BUF Buffalo NY at 8:25 am
- Destination: 9G0 West Seneca NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:37 pm from BUF, 5 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.