Piper PA-28-161 accident near Auburn, Massachusetts, September 18, 1995
On September 18, 1995 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N4319T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Auburn, Massachusetts (Oxford airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. The lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1995 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Auburn, Massachusetts · Oxford
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N4319T · no longer on the register · serial 28-8416009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff, while climbing through about 400 feet AGL, the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing in a wooded area. Fire personnel reported the smell of fuel at the accident site. The pilot told them he had turned the fuel off; however, the fuel selector was found positioned to the left tank after the accident. Additionally, no anomaly with the engine or fuel system was found.
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: 195 hours in all; 59 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,537 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 24, 1995; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,440 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: A.J. Flight Services INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MA08 Oxford MA at 6:45 pm
- Destination: SFZ Pawtucket RI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 2,047 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from ORH, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.