Piper PA-60-602P accident near Danbury, Connecticut, April 12, 1995
On April 12, 1995 at about 5:27 pm local time, a Piper PA-60-602P, registered N602PC, was destroyed in an accident near Danbury, Connecticut (Danbury Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S DELAY IN INITIATING A GO-AROUND (ABORTED LANDING) AND FAILURE TO ASSURE THAT THE FLAPS WERE PROPERLY RESET FOR THE GO-AROUND. FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ACHIEVE THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT FOR LANDING, THE WET RUNWAY CONDITION, AND THE PROXIMITY OF TREE(S) TO THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 1995 · about 5:27 pm local time
- Place
- Danbury, Connecticut · Danbury Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-60-602P · all PA-60-602Ps on the register
- Registration
- N602PC · registry record · serial 62P-18165002
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER MAKING A LOCALIZER RUNWAY 8 APPROACH, THE PILOT LANDED OVER HALFWAY DOWN THE 4422' WET RUNWAY. HE THEN DECIDED TO ABORT THE LANDING, ADDED POWER, AND WHEN AIRBORNE, RETRACTED THE LANDING GEAR. HE SAID HE ASKED THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT (NON-RATED) PASSENGER TO RESET THE FLAPS (TO 20 DEGREES). THE PILOT SAW TREES AHEAD, AND REALIZED THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT GOING TO CLEAR THE OBSTACLES, THOUGH FULL POWER WAS APPLIED. JUST BEFORE IMPACT, HE PULLED BACK ON THE ELEVATOR CONTROL TO SOFTEN THE IMPACT, RATHER THAN HITTING THE TREES NOSE FIRST. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE WING FLAPS WERE FOUND IN THE RETRACTED 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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,486 hours in all; 481 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1,462 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,253 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 2, 1994; 108 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,062 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IAD Washington DC at 4:00 pm
- Destination: DXR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8, 4,422 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:37 pm from DXR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC95LA087.