Piper PA-23-250 accident near West Point, New York, November 23, 1985
On November 23, 1985, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N54236, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Point, New York. It was a ferry 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
- November 23, 1985
- Place
- West Point, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N54236 · registry record · serial 27-7554030
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS RETURNING TO UNIVERSITY PARK ARPT AFTER PASSENGERS WERE DROPPED OFF AT WATERBURY OXFORD ARPT. APRX 20 MINUTES INTO THE FLT, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TWO BIRDS. THE LEFT WING TIP WAS DAMAGED ALONG WITH A PORTION OF A SECTION OF THE LEFT WING 3 1/2 INBOARD. THE ACFT CONTINUED ONTO THE DESTINATION AND A LANDING WAS MADE WITHOUT INCIDENT.
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 multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,100 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 2,537 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 22, 1985; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Waterbury CT
- Destination: State College PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 300° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 25 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.