Piper PA-24-260 accident near Chatham, Massachusetts, February 12, 1988
On February 12, 1988 at about 2:10 am local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N9281P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chatham, Massachusetts (Chatham 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
- February 12, 1988 · about 2:10 am local time
- Place
- Chatham, Massachusetts · Chatham
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N9281P · no longer on the register · serial 24-4781
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER ABORTING TWO LANDINGS ON RUNWAY 24 AT CHATHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, THE PILOT WAS ADVISED BY RADIO TO USE RUNWAY 6. WHILE ATTEMPTING A LANDING ON RUNWAY 6, THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN SHORT OF THE RUNWAY AND THE LANDING GEAR WAS SHEARED OFF WHEN IT STRUCK A GRASS KNOLL. THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED TO A STOP ON ITS BELLY.
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: 711 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,391 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FRG Farmingdale NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N9281P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.