Piper PA-28-181 accident near Williamstown, New Jersey, March 14, 1986
On March 14, 1986, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8259E, was destroyed in an accident near Williamstown, New Jersey (Cross Keys airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 14, 1986
- Place
- Williamstown, New Jersey · Cross Keys
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N8259E · registry record · serial 28-8190022
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT EXECUTED VOR RWY 09 APCH TO THE ARPT AT NIGHT AND DURING LOW VISIBILITY CONDITIONS THAT RANGED FROM 100 TO 400 FEET DUE TO FOG. THE ACFT FIRST COLLIDED WITH A HOUSE, FOLLOWED BY TWO PARKED CARS AND THEN MAIN IMPACT WITH A SECOND HOUSE. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS ABOUT ONE-HALF MILE EAST OF THE AIRPORT AND NORTH OF THE EXTENDED RWY 09/27 CENTERLINE. THE ACFT WAS HEADED NORTHWEST AT THE TIME OF THE IMPACT. WITNESSES HEARD ENGINE SOUNDS JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. THE PLT WAS RETURNING HOME FROM A BUSINESS TRIP THAT CONSTITUTED THE DAY OF AND DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT
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: 477 hours in all; 19 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 397 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 482 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 14, 1986; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Morristown NJ at 10:46 pm
- Destination: Cross Keys NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0, 2,250 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 100° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 100 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from PHL, 15 miles away
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.