Piper PA-28-180 accident near E.Harwich Port, Massachusetts, November 28, 1987
On November 28, 1987 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N9714J, was destroyed in an accident near E.Harwich Port, Massachusetts (Chatham Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- November 28, 1987 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- E.Harwich Port, Massachusetts · Chatham Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9714J · no longer on the register · serial 28-3905
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED CHATHAM AIRPORT FOR A LOCAL PLEASURE FLIGHT. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF AND WHILE TURNING LEFT IN THE PATTERN, THE ENGINE SUFFERED A POWER LOSS. THE PILOT PREPARED FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING AND TRANSMITTED A 'MAY DAY'. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. THE FAA REPORTED THAT THE PILOT PULLED THE MIXTURE CONTROL INSTEAD OF THE CARB HEAT CONTROL.
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: 355 hours in all; 237 in this make and model; 237 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,175 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cape Cod Aero Marine
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.