Piper PA-46-310P accident near Richmond, New Hampshire, August 13, 1984
On August 13, 1984 at about 11:45 am local time, a Piper PA-46-310P, registered N4323G, was destroyed in an accident near Richmond, New Hampshire (Dillant-Hopkins airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- August 13, 1984 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- Richmond, New Hampshire · Dillant-Hopkins
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-310P · all PA-46-310Ps on the register
- Registration
- N4323G · no longer on the register · serial 46-8408020
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS FLYING INBOUND FOR THE ILS RWY 02 APCH VIA THE GARDNER VOR TRANSITION. WHILE ON THE TRANSITION, THE ACFT DESCENDED BELOW THE 4000 FT MSL MIN ALT TO 2600 FT MSL. THE PLT WAS ALERTED BY ATC. HE RESPONDED THAT HIS CHART READ 3000 FT. THE ACFT THEN CLIMBED ABOVE 2700 FT, BUT DESCENDED AGAIN (TO 1500 FT MSL) UNTIL ABOUT 2 MI OUTSIDE THE OUTER MARKER. THE MIN PUBLISHED ALT TO INTERCEPT THE GLIDE SLOPE WAS 2600 FT & AND THE RECOMMENDED (GLIDE SLOPE) ALT FOR CROSSING THE OUTER MARKER WAS 2548 FT. BEFORE REACHING THE OUTER MARKER, THE ACFT MADE AN ABRUPT TURN TO THE SOUTHWEST, ENTERED A STEEP DESCENT & CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY EVIDENCE OF A MALFUNCTION. A FLT INSPECTION OF THE NAV AIDS DISCLOSED SATISFACTORY OPERATION. A POST MORTEM EXAM WAS INCONCLUSIVE TO POSSIBLE PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT. THE PROCEDURE TURN ALT FOR THE APCH WAS 3000 FT, BUT THE GARDNER TRANSITION DID NOT REQUIRE A PROCEDURE TURN.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,097 hours in all; 2,885 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 117 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 4,118 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-BE1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WST Westerly RI at 11:02 am
- Destination: EEN Keene NH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2, 6,502 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from EEN, 8 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.