Piper PA-28R-201 accident near Bristol, Connecticut, December 21, 1985
On December 21, 1985 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-201, registered N61260, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bristol, Connecticut. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- December 21, 1985 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bristol, Connecticut
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201s on the register
- Registration
- N61260 · registry record · serial 28R-7837255
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A RETURN FLIGHT BACK TO TETERBORO WHEN AN ENG FAILURE OCCURRED FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. THE PLT REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT WHICH WAS ROBERTSON BUT HE WAS NOT ABLE TO REACH IT. A FORCED LANDING RESULTED IN AN OPEN FLD DURING WHICH THE ACFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.
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
- Flight time: 5,300 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 4,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,262 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 14, 1985; 571 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bradley CT at 9:20 pm
- Destination: TEB Teterboro NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.