Piper PA-28-161 accident near Atlantic City, New Jersey, September 24, 1986
On September 24, 1986 at about 4:06 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N9422C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atlantic City, New Jersey. 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
- September 24, 1986 · about 4:06 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N9422C · no longer on the register · serial 28-7816475
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS ON APPROACH FOR LANDING WHEN ENGINE POWER WAS LOST DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A TIDAL MARSH AND NOSED OVER SLIGHTLY IN THE SOFT MARSH AND 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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,560 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1,394 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,107 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320D36 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWM Portland ME at 12:35 pm
- Destination: ACY Atlantic City NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.