Piper PA-22-150 accident near Dennis Port, Massachusetts, August 31, 1986
On August 31, 1986 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N3841P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dennis Port, Massachusetts. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 31, 1986 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dennis Port, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3841P · no longer on the register · serial 223531
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, HE WAS FLYING AT AN ALT OF 800 FT ALONG THE COASTLINE DURING AN AERIAL ADVERTISING FLT AND WAS SWITCHING FROM THE RIGHT FUEL TANK TO THE LEFT WHEN THE ENG LOST POWER. THE ACFT WAS THEN DITCHED IN 14 FOOT DEEP WATER. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS FULL OF FUEL AND THE RIGHT WAS EMPTY. THE FUEL TANK FILLER CAPS WERE ALSO CHECKED FOR LEAKAGE AND NONE WAS FOUND.
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: 2,299 hours in all; 1,635 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 1,926 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,840 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ndc,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Beverly MA at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°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.