Piper PA-23-250 accident near Baptistown, New Jersey, August 29, 1997
On August 29, 1997 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N5464Y, was destroyed in an accident near Baptistown, New Jersey. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain control of the airplane for undetermined reason(s), while operating it at low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1997 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Baptistown, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5464Y · no longer on the register · serial 27-2552
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a postmaintenance evaluation flight with two recently overhauled engines and propellers. Witnesses observed the airplane at a low altitude, with the engines operating at high power. One witness, a pilot, reported that the speed was 'fast and not near a stall or Vmc.' The airplane was observed to roll right and descended into a wooded area. The fuselage and wings were fragmented. Cut wood and impact marks corresponding to both engines were found at the accident site. A check of the airplane failed to reveal a mechanical failure or malfunction. A review of logbooks revealed no recent maintenance to the flight control system. A check with the pilot's doctors revealed no outstanding medical problems.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,067 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 1997; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N85 Pittstown NJ at 4:30 pm
- Destination: N40 NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from ABE, 20 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.
Other NTSB records under N5464Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.