Piper PA-28-236 accident near Gaylordsville, Connecticut, September 12, 1987
On September 12, 1987 at about 1:10 am local time, a Piper PA-28-236, registered N2186B, was destroyed in an accident near Gaylordsville, Connecticut. It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 12, 1987 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Gaylordsville, Connecticut
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-236 · all PA-28-236s on the register
- Registration
- N2186B · no longer on the register · serial 28-7911011
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THE PIPER PA-28-236 WAS CRUISING AT 6000 FT AT NIGHT WHEN HE REPORTED A FAILURE OF HIS VACUUM PUMP FOLLOWED BY LOSS OF HIS ATTITUDE INDICATOR AND DIRECTIONAL GYRO. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO MAKE A 360 DEGREE TURN ON THE RADAR SCOPE. THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER ISSUED 'NO GYRO' RADAR VECTORS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLEARED FROM 6000 FT TO 5000 FT IN PREPARATION FOR AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH. THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED THE DESCENT CLEARANCE AND THEN THE AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARED FROM THE RADAR SCOPE. IT WAS FOUND SCATTERED OVER 1/2 MILE WITH BOTH HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND THE VERTICAL STABILIZER SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOTS LOG BOOK INDICATED HE MET THE RECENCY OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED BY 14 CFR 61.57. FOG WAS REPORTED IN THE AREA AND THE CLOSEST RECORDED WEATHER INDICATED A 900 FT CEILING WITH FOG.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,058 hours in all; 133 in this make and model; 292 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days; 984 as pilot in command; 445 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 11, 1987; 107 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3A5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYA Hyannis MA
- Destination: POU Poughkeepsie NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N2186B 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.