Piper PA-28-161 accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts, July 19, 1985
On July 19, 1985, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8247A, was destroyed in an accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts (Nantucket Mem. 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
- July 19, 1985
- Place
- Nantucket, Massachusetts · Nantucket Mem.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8247A · registry record · serial 28-8116001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED IN A MEDIUM LEFT BANK TURNING THROUGH A SOUTH SOUTHWEST HEADING AS IT APPEARED FROM THE CLOUDS. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO DESCEND IN THAT ATTITUDE UNTIL IT COLLIDED WITH THE TREES ABOUT 3.5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE ARPT. THE PLT AND PASSENGER WERE HELPED OUT OF THE WRECKAGE BY A LOCAL PLT AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 426 hours in all; 251 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 292 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,132 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 1985; 108 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D36 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OWD Norwood MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 6,303 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.