Piper PA-28-140 accident near Harwich, Massachusetts, January 18, 1996
On January 18, 1996 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N5934U, was destroyed in an accident near Harwich, Massachusetts (Chatham airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper in-flight decision to continue flight under visual flight rules, while flying into instrument meteorological conditions. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane after entering IMC, which resulted in the subsequent collision with the water. A factor in this accident was that the pilot was not instrument rated.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 1996 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Harwich, Massachusetts · Chatham
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N5934U · no longer on the register · serial 2826827
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated pilot departed on a local flight under VFR conditions. About 1.7 hours after departure, witnesses observed the airplane flying south towards the shore line in and out of clouds, about 700 feet above the ground. The airplane turned east when it reached the shore line, paralleled the coast, and reentered the clouds. The airplane was found submerged in water, 1 mile further east. Examination of the wreckage revealed no pre-impact failure of the airframe or engine. The departure airport weather was IFR until 1200, and the pilot departed about 1400, under a 12,000 foot ceiling and 10 miles visibility. The airport weather returned to a 200 foot ceiling and 3/4 mile visibility, about 1500. There was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing or filing a flight plan.
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: 580 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 513 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,691 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 12, 1995; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CQX Chatham MA at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from CQX, 4 miles away
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.
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.