Piper PA-34-200T accident near Hopkinton, New Hampshire, January 1, 1985
On January 1, 1985 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N47364, was destroyed in an accident near Hopkinton, New Hampshire (Lebanon, Nh airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- January 1, 1985 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hopkinton, New Hampshire · Lebanon, Nh
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N47364 · no longer on the register · serial 34 7770388
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE DURING AN ILS APPROACH IN IMC WX. THE ACFT WAS ON A X-CTY FLT AND THE PLT DECLARED A MISSED APPROACH AT THIS PT BUT DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE HITTING THE TREE. WHEN THE RT ENG QUIT AND DIRECTIONAL CONTROL COULD NOT BE MAINTAINED THE PLT ELECTED TO MAKE A POWER OFF LANDING OFF ARPT IN AN OPEN AREA. MORE TREE COLLISIONS OCCURRED DURING LNDG AND A HARD TOUCHDOWN WAS MADE ON ROLLING TERRAIN. NO MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND ON THE ACFT. THE PLT HAD ACCEPTED THE ACFT WITH THE LEFT ALTERNATOR REMOVED FOR REPAIRS. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO TRANSPORT THE PLTS MOTHER TO HER HOME IN NH. THE ILS APPROACH HAD BEEN ATTEMPTED AT LEBANON, NH.
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; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,127 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 27, 1984; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,750 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 17N Cross Keys NJ at 3:50 pm
- Destination: LEB Lebanon NH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 7, 5,495 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded at 800 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°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.