Piper PA-60-601P accident near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, August 3, 1986
On August 3, 1986 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-60-601P, registered N9531Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Lancaster airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- August 3, 1986 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Lancaster, Pennsylvania · Lancaster
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-60-601P · all PA-60-601Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9531Q · no longer on the register · serial 354
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIPER PA-60 AEROSTAR WAS MAKING A TAKEOFF WITH FIVE PASSENGERS ON BOARD. THE PIC DID NOT ESTABLISH ANY PROCEDURES WITH HIS CO-PILOT PRIOR TO THE TAKEOFF. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED OFF THE 4100 FT RUNWAY TO THE OVERRUN FINALLY BECOMING AIRBORNE. THE CO-PILOT THEN GRABBED THE CONTROLS AND PULLED THE CONTROL WHEEL BACK. THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED AND THEN THE LEFT WING DROPPED AND CONTACTED POWER LINES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED ON FIRE PRIOR TO SETTLING TO THE GROUND. ALL FIVE OCCUPANTS ESCAPED INJURY, HOWEVER, THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE. BOTH FRONT SEAT PILOTS (PIC & CO-PILOT) HAD OPERATED PA-60 AIRCRAFT AS PIC.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,250 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 3,080 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 3, 1986; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TI0-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Beaumont Aviation, CORP.
The flight
- Destination: Bowling Green WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 4,102 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N9531Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.