Piper PA-32-260 accident near East Swanzey, New Hampshire, September 12, 1985
On September 12, 1985 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N42722, was destroyed in an accident near East Swanzey, New Hampshire (Dillant-Hopkins airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- September 12, 1985 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- East Swanzey, New Hampshire · Dillant-Hopkins
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N42722 · registry record · serial 21-7400039
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS PREFLIGHTED & DETERMINED TO HAVE 10 QTS OF OIL IN THE ENG. WHILE CLIMBING THRU ABOUT 1000 FT MSL AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PROPELLER RPM BEGAN RISING TO THE REDLINE. THE PLT REDUCED POWER & PROCEEDED TO MAKE AN EMERG LANDING. DURING A TURN TOWARD THE ARPT, THE ENG STOPPED OPERATING. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES & CRASHED AS THE PLT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND IN AN OPEN FIELD ABOUT 4 MI FROM THE ARPT. A POST CRASH EXAM DISCLOSED A RUPTURED OIL HOSE, PN 63901-26, THAT LED FROM THE OIL PUMP TO THE OIL COOLER. THE HOSE HAD A LIFE EXPECTANCY OF 8 YRS & HAD BEEN MANUFACTURED IN 1974. NO RECORD WAS FOUND TO INDICATE THE HOSE HAD BEEN REPLACED SINCE ITS ORIGINAL INSTALLATION ON THE ENG.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 2,535 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,308 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1985; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EEN Keene NH at 1:47 pm
- Destination: BAF Westfield MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 6,502 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.