Piper PA-31-310 accident near Beverly, Massachusetts, October 21, 1987
On October 21, 1987 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-310, registered N9249Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beverly, Massachusetts (Beverly Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 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 21, 1987 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Beverly, Massachusetts · Beverly Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-310 · all PA-31-310s on the register
- Registration
- N9249Y · no longer on the register · serial 31-324
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT DRG AN NDB APCH, THE ACFT 'BROKE OUT SLIGHTLY ABOVE MINIMUMS' & THAT HE MANEUVERED TO LAND FROM A CLOSE-IN, BASE LEG. HE STATED THAT DRG A LEFT TURN TO FINAL APCH, THE LEFT ENG BEGAN LOSING POWER. RPRTDLY, THERE WAS A LACK OF RESPONSE TO CONTROL INPUTS AS HE TRIED TO ROLL OUT ON FINAL & ATTEMPTS TO ADD POWER WORSENED THE SITUATION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CONTACTED THE RWY LEFT WING FIRST & CRASH LANDED. DRG THE SEQUENCE, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED & THE RIGHT ENG FOLDED UNDER THE RIGHT WING. NO REASON WAS FOUND FOR THE LEFT ENG TO LOSE POWER.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,746 hours in all; 117 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days; 3,611 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LCI Laconia NH at 5:00 pm
- Destination: BVY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 4,637 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.