Piper PA-38 accident near Leroy, New York, October 15, 1986
On October 15, 1986 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-38, registered N60CS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Leroy, New York (Leroy 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1986 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Leroy, New York · Leroy · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38 · all PA-38s on the register
- Registration
- N60CS · registry record · serial 38-78A0162
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR SIMULATING AN EMERGENCY LANDING, LANDED ON MAIN LANDING GEARS AND TAIL. AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT OFF THE RUNWAY AND COLLIDED WITH BUSHES.
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: 309 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 83 in the last 90 days; 167 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 815 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 1986; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 2,650 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N60CS on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-38 Tomahawk 442 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,839 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- LE Roy Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 249 in the last ten years
- New York 6,659 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC87LA019.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.