Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600 accident near Utica, New York, March 6, 1985
On March 6, 1985 at about 1:17 am local time, a Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600, registered N7408S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Utica, New York (Oneida CO. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- March 6, 1985 · about 1:17 am local time
- Place
- Utica, New York · Oneida CO.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600 AEROSTAR 6
- Registration
- N7408S · no longer on the register · serial 600013
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING AN ILS APCH, HE BROKE OUT & SAW THE ARPT. HOWEVER, HE SAID THAT 'LAKE EFFECT' WAS MOVING IN RAPIDLY. THE WIND WAS REPORTED FROM 290 DEG AT 12 GUSTING 18 KTS. THE PLT ELECTED TO CONTINUE HIS APCH TO RWY 33 RATHER THAN CIRCLE & LAND ON RWY 27. ABOUT 3 TO 5 SEC INTO THE LANDING ROLL, THE ACFT VEER LEFT & COLLIDED WITH A SNOWBANK. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE RWY WAS SLICK. APRX 3 MIN AFTER LANDING, THE WX WAS REPORTED IN PART AS: 500 FT OBSCURED, VISIBILITY 1/2 MI WITH LIGHT SNOW.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,518 hours in all; 109 in this make and model; 108 in the last 90 days; 108 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,736 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 5, 1985; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-G1B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TEB Teterboro NJ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 33, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 290° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Sky: not recorded at 500 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.