Piper PA-28RT-201 accident near Caldwell, New Jersey, October 1, 1986
On October 1, 1986 at about 4:15 am local time, a Piper PA-28RT-201, registered N8320A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Caldwell, New Jersey (Essex airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- October 1, 1986 · about 4:15 am local time
- Place
- Caldwell, New Jersey · Essex
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28RT-201 PA-28RT-20 · all PA-28RT-201s on the register
- Registration
- N8320A · registry record · serial 28R8118048
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT IN COMMAND ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO BECOME TOO LOW DURING A NIGHT SIMULATED EMERGENCY (ENGINE OUT) DURING AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE TOPS OF TREES, BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE AND CRASHED TO THE GROUND.
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: 1,047 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 980 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,737 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 3, 1986; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Robert A. Goldstone Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Teterboro NJ at 3:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 4,550 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N8320A 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.