Piper PA-28-161 accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts, August 23, 1987
On August 23, 1987, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N83232, was destroyed in an accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts (Nantucket airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 23, 1987
- Place
- Nantucket, Massachusetts · Nantucket
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N83232 · no longer on the register · serial 28-8316026
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIPER PA-28-161 WITH A PILOT AND PASSENGER ONBOARD DISAPPEARED FROM THE RADAR SCOPE WHILE BEING VECTORED TO AN ILS APPROACH TO RWY 24 AT NANTUCKET, MA. THE CONTROLLER OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT IN A SOUTHEASTERLY HEADING AND ASKED THE TOWER CONTROLLER TO QUESTION THE PILOT. THE PILOT REPLIED THAT HE WAS ON THE LOCALIZER. THE LAST OBSERVED ALTITUDE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS 900 FT. AN OIL SLICK AND A NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY WERE FOUND OFFSHORE IN THE WATER. HOWEVER NO SERIALIZED COMPONENTS OR MAJOR WRECKAGE WAS RECOVERED. AIRCRAFT DAMAGE AND INJURIES ARE PRESUMED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 540 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYA Hyannis MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 6,303 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.