Piper PA-34-200T accident near Buffalo, New York, September 15, 1984
On September 15, 1984 at about 7:36 am local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N4512E, was destroyed in an accident near Buffalo, New York (Greater Buffalo Int'L airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- September 15, 1984 · about 7:36 am local time
- Place
- Buffalo, New York · Greater Buffalo Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N4512E · registry record · serial 34-7970444
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED ON MAIN STREET, BUFFALO, NY, WHILE EXECUTING A FORCED LANDING DURING AN AIR TAXI CARGO OPERATION. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT BASED ON FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS THE PLT HAD NOT ALLOWED FOR ALL CONTINGENCIES DURING HIS ORGINAL FLT PLANNING & THE ACFT WAS OPERATED IN AVERY PRECARIOUS CONDITION DURING THE LATTER STAGES OF FLT.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,543 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 3,955 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,820 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 5, 1984; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 7S10-360-EB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sair Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MKG Muskegon MI
- Destination: SYR Syracuse NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 8,102 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15000 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft; scat at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 am 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.