Piper PA-18-150 accident near Shirley, New York, May 6, 1984
On May 6, 1984 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4410Z, was destroyed in an accident near Shirley, New York (Brookhaven airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- May 6, 1984 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Shirley, New York · Brookhaven
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4410Z · no longer on the register · serial 18-8743
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CLIMBING WITH A GLIDER IN TOW, THE TOW ACFT PITCHED NOSE UP. THE GLIDER & TOW PLTS RELEASED THE TOW ROPE & THE GLIDER PLT LANDED SAFELY. THE TOW ACFT MAINTAINED A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE, STALLED, THEN ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT & CRASHED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE LOWER ELEVATOR CONTROL CABLE WAS NOT ATTACHED TO THE CONTROL HORN. THE ATTACH BOLT WAS LOCATED WITH ONLY ITS TIP IN THE HOLE OF THE LOWER CONTROL HORN. THE ASSOCIATED NUT & COTTER PIN WERE NOT FOUND. THE ACFT LOG SHOWED THAT AN ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED ABOUT 30 FLT HRS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. AT THAT TIME, THE CONTROLS WERE LUBRICATED & CHECKED & THE AIRFRAME WAS RE-COVERED WITH FABRIC. THE PLT'S LAST BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW WAS ON 2/7/82.
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: 325 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,516 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 1984; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1N1 at 2:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 4,325 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:05 pm from ISP, 10 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.