Piper PA-28 accident near Plymouth, Vermont, September 27, 1987
On September 27, 1987 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28, registered N302RB, was destroyed in an accident near Plymouth, Vermont. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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 27, 1987 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Plymouth, Vermont
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28 · all PA-28s on the register
- Registration
- N302RB · registry record · serial 28-23521
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CRUISING AT ABOUT 5500', THE ENG LOST POWER & THE PROP CONTD TO WINDMILL, BUT THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENG. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE LANDED THE ACFT IN A ROUGH FIELD. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE PROP DUG INTO A MOUND OF DIRT & THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER. ACCORDING TO THE OWNER, A BOLT HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY INSTALLED TO SECURE A CRANKSHAFT GEAR DURING OVERHAUL IN 1984.
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
- Flight time: 245 hours in all; 16 in the last 90 days; 100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,240 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 18, 1987; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Basin Harbor VT at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Nashua NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.