Piper PA-23-250 accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts, April 17, 1987
On April 17, 1987 at about 2:08 am local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N40395, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts (Nantucket airport). 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- April 17, 1987 · about 2:08 am local time
- Place
- Nantucket, Massachusetts · Nantucket
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N40395 · no longer on the register · serial 277305158
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIPER PA-23-250 ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND AFTER CROSSING THE THRESHOLD AND OBSERVING THE RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE NOT ON DURING A NIGHT INSTRUMENT APPROACH. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE ADDED FULL POWER AND RETRACTED THE WING FLAPS. THE PROCEDURE IN THE PIPER MANUAL IS TO ADD FULL POWER, RETRACT THE LANDING GEAR, AND THEN SLOWLY RETRACT THE WING FLAPS. THE AIRCRAFT MADE GROUND CONTACT WITH THE LANDING GEAR STILL EXTENDED AND IT PASSED THROUGH A DRAINAGE DITCH.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 610 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 506 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,715 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Haverford-Covington,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: TEB Teterboro NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 6,303 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 am from ACY
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.