Piper PA-28-140 accident near Palmer, Massachusetts, June 15, 1986
On June 15, 1986 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N1866T, was destroyed in an accident near Palmer, Massachusetts (Metropolitan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. 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
- June 15, 1986 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Massachusetts · Metropolitan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N1866T · no longer on the register · serial 28-7225014
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CLIMBED IN AN EXCESSIVELY NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE UPON ROTATION AT 60 MPH. IT THEN VEERED LEFT AND SETTLED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY. THE PLT REDUCED THE POWER TO IDLE AND APPLIED BRAKED. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO SLIDE AND COLLIDED WITH TREES. THE ACFT WAS THEN DESTROYED BY POST CRASH FIRE.
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
- Flight time: 85 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 33 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,160 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Palmer MA at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,500 ft by 55 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.