Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Montgomery, New York, May 3, 1985
On May 3, 1985 at about 12:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N9439N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Montgomery, New York (Orange CO. airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- May 3, 1985 · about 12:20 pm local time
- Place
- Montgomery, New York · Orange CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N9439N · no longer on the register · serial PA28R-35153
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT MADE A FORCED LANDING AFTER THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE KEPT DROPPING. SOME ADJUSTMENT WAS MADE BY THROTTLE APPLICATION AND FINALLY ALT AIR WAS USED. WHEN THE PLT DECIDED THAT THE ARPT COULD NOT BE REACHED HE LANDED ON A HIGHWAY. THE LEFT & NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED DURING THE LANDING.
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: 530 hours in all; 222 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 498 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,082 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ASH Nashua NH at 11:30 am
- Destination: MMU Morristown NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°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.