Piper PA-28-180 accident near East Haddam, Connecticut, April 10, 1985
On April 10, 1985 at about 7:28 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N55408, was destroyed in an accident near East Haddam, Connecticut (Goodspeed airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 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
- April 10, 1985 · about 7:28 pm local time
- Place
- East Haddam, Connecticut · Goodspeed
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N55408 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7305378
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING APPROACH TO RUNWAY 14 PILOT DECIDED TO GO AROUND. AIRCRAFT TURNED LEFT ABOUT 90 DEGREES AND COLLIDED WITH RISING TERRAIN .2 NM EAST OF THE RUNWAY. THE RISING TERRAIN PARALLELS RUNWAY 14.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 329 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,367 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 1984; 128 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ISP Ronkonkoma NY at 6:35 pm
- Destination: 42B East Haddam CT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 2,100 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.