Piper AZTEC accident near North Adams, Massachusetts, November 26, 1985
On November 26, 1985 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper AZTEC, registered N6LQ, was destroyed in an accident near North Adams, Massachusetts (Harriamn-West airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 26, 1985 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- North Adams, Massachusetts · Harriamn-West
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper AZTEC
- Registration
- N6LQ · no longer on the register · serial 277405323
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT DEPARTED ALBANY NEW YORK UNDER VFR CONDITIONS AND PICKED UP IFR CLEARANCE TO PITTSFIELD, MA. THE PILOT FLEW THE APPROACH UNTIL REACHING VFR UNDER A CLOUD LAYER AT ABOUT 2500 FT. CONTINUING VFR TOWARD NO. ADAMS AT AN ALTITUDE OF 2000 FT, THE PILOT SPOTTED THE CITY OF NO. ADAMS AN DESCENDED TO 1800 FT, RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED AS THE FLIGHT TURNED FINAL. THE FLIGHT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN AND CRASHED, DESTROYING THE AIRCRAFT.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,910 hours in all; 125 in the last 90 days; 2,955 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALB Albany NY
- Destination: 2B6 No. Adams MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29, 4,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- 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.