Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Westhampton Bch, New York, April 15, 1986
On April 15, 1986 at about 5:30 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N4559X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Westhampton Bch, New York (Suffolk CO. airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- April 15, 1986 · about 5:30 am local time
- Place
- Westhampton Bch, New York · Suffolk CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N4559X · registry record · serial L14740,S,A
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUMENT INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT RETURNED TO THE AIRPORT LATE AT NIGHT AND SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED TWO INSTRUMENT APPROACHES WITH MISSED APPROACHES. THE PILOTS HAD BEEN ADVISED OF A LOW LAYER OF FOG ON THE AIRPORT. ON THE THIRD AND FINAL APPROACH, AFTER GOING VISUAL, THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED BELOW THE MDA AND STILL HAD THE RUNWAY IN SIGHT. THE PILOT LOST FORWARD VISIBILITY AT APPROXIMATELY 100 FT AGL AFTER ENTERING A LOW LAYER OF FOG AT 150 FT AGL. THE CFI TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND. DURING THE ATTEMPTED GO-AROUND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND 60 FT TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE TWO OCCUPANTS WERE UNINJURED.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 791 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 681 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, November 2, 1985; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360-OC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALB Albany NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.