Piper PA-24-260 accident near Sydney, New York, August 12, 1984
On August 12, 1984 at about 5:15 am local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N9232P, was destroyed in an accident near Sydney, New York (Sidney Muni airport). It was a positioning 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 12, 1984 · about 5:15 am local time
- Place
- Sydney, New York · Sidney Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N9232P · no longer on the register · serial 24-4730
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A NIGHT ARRIVAL, THE PLT WAS CLEARED FOR A VOR/CIRCLING APCH TO THE SIDNEY MUNI ARPT. THE PUBLISHED APCH WAS FROM THE HANCOCK VOR WITH A NORTHERLY HEADING TO THE ARPT OF 354 DEG. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED & BURNED ON WOODED TERRAIN ABOUT 1 MI NORTH OF THE ARPT IN THE VICINITY OF A LEFT DOWNWIND LEG FOR RWY 7. INITIAL IMPACT OCCURRED WITH TREES AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 1550 FT WHILE PARALLELING RWY 7/25 (HEADING 255 DEG). THE ELEVATION OF THE ARPT WAS 1027 FT. THE MIN DESCENT ALT (MDA) FOR THE VOR APCH WAS 2280 FT. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE PROP BLADES HAD EVIDENCE OF ROTATIONAL DAMAGE. A TEST OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 101 MGS% (.101%); HOWEVER, THE PLT'S BODY (& THE WRECKAGE) WERE NOT FOUND UNTIL 8/15/84. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT ALCOHOL IN THE PLT'S BLOOD WOULD HAVE RESULTED FROM PUTREFACTION. ABOUT 26 MI SW AT BINGHAMTON, NY, THE 0051 EDT WX WAS, IN PART: 1500 FT SCATTERED, 5500 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 7MI, WIND 120 DEG AT 5 KTS.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,900 hours in all; 14 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,650 as pilot in command; 910 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 20, 1984; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LGA Flushing NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 7, 4,220 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:50 am from BGM, 26 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.