Piper PA-32-300 accident near Stratford, Connecticut, February 16, 1996
On February 16, 1996 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N8137D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stratford, Connecticut (Sikorsky Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate visual lookout by the pilot and the vehicle operator, resulting in their failure to see and avoid each other.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 1996 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Stratford, Connecticut · Sikorsky Memorial
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N8137D · registry record · serial 32-7940273
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight had landed and was taxiing to the ramp, in an area that was not visible from the air traffic control tower, when the airplane and a snowplow truck collided. The pilot reported that he had looked to his left in the direction he was going to make a turn, and just as he looked to his right, he saw the truck backing up and then strike the right wing. The truck operator reported that he did not see the aircraft in his sideview mirror as he backed up. He stopped the truck and as he began to go forward, the airplane struck the truck. The collision resulted in the airplane being pushed sideways 6 inches and turned about 90 degrees to the right.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,780 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,654 as pilot in command; 1,124 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,239 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 7, 1995; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ISP Ronkonkoma NY at 4:00 pm
- Destination: BDR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.