Piper PA-28-181 accident near Gr. Barrington, Massachusetts, December 20, 1994
On December 20, 1994 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N4497X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gr. Barrington, Massachusetts (Great Barrington airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot landed with excessive airspeed which resulted in a long landing, runway overrun, and collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 1994 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gr. Barrington, Massachusetts · Great Barrington
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N4497X · registry record · serial 28-7670023
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S STATEMENT, HE CAME IN TOO FAST AND LANDED LONG. HE REPORTED, '...I RAN OFF THE RUNWAY TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO SOME SMALL TREES...TO MY MIND THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE AIRCRAFT. THE ACCIDENT WAS DUE TO PILOT ERROR.'
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: 591 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,627 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 5, 1994; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GBR
- Destination: GBR MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,579 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.