Piper PA-28-140 accident near Beverly, Massachusetts, November 2, 1984
On November 2, 1984 at about 5:14 am local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N9930W, was destroyed in an accident near Beverly, Massachusetts (Beverly Municiapal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 2, 1984 · about 5:14 am local time
- Place
- Beverly, Massachusetts · Beverly Municiapal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N9930W · no longer on the register · serial 28-23454
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN APPROACH TO LAND AT NIGHT, THE ACFT CRASHED & BURNED ABOUT 3000 FT FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RWY. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH APPROACH CONTROL. HE INDICATED THAT IFR CONDITIONS EXISTED OVER THE ARPT & THAT HE WAS GOING TO LAND. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE ACFT HAD CRASHED IN A LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE ACCIDENT. A BLOOD TEST BY THE STATE MEDICAL EXAMINERS OFFICE SHOWED THAT THE PLT HAD A BLOOD/ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.23%.
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: 334 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 162 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 281 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 25, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 4,637 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded at 700 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 am from BOS, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.