Piper PA-30 accident near Berlin, Vermont, September 22, 1990
On September 22, 1990 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered CFSKO, was destroyed in an accident near Berlin, Vermont. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 1990 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Berlin, Vermont
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- CFSKO · no longer on the register · serial 30813
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED HALIFAX FOR BURLINGTON, LOADED ABOUT 400 LBS ABOVE ITS MAXIMUM CERTIFICATED GROSS WEIGHT. HOWEVER, THE EN ROUTE FUEL BURN-OFF HAD REDUCED ITS WEIGHT WITHIN LIMITS. AFTER THE FLIGHT REACHED THE MONTPELIER AREA, THE WEATHER DETERIORATED TO IFR CONDITIONS. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT INDICATED THAT HE HAD FLOWN INTO CLOUDS SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS ABLE TO RETURN TO VFR CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, JUST BEFORE IT CRASHED, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO SPIN OUT OF LOW CLOUDS. THE AUTOPILOT ROLL AXIS WAS FOUND ON, THE PITCH AXIS WAS OFF AND THE ELEVATOR WAS TRIMMED TO A NEAR FULL NOSE DOWN POSITION.
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: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 640 hours in all; 107 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 581 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YHZ Halifax at 1:50 pm
- Destination: BTV Burlington VT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:33 pm from MPV, 8 miles away
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.