Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Frankfort, New York, June 28, 1997
On June 28, 1997 at about 4:10 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N8139C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Frankfort, New York (Frankfort-Highland airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of distance and speed on final approach, and his failure to attain the proper touchdown point during landing. A factor in the accident was the night light condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 1997 · about 4:10 am local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Frankfort, New York · Frankfort-Highland · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N8139C · registry record · serial 28R-7635131
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a night approach to a 2,550-foot paved, lighted runway. The pilot stated that his approach was normal and that he felt no reason to believe anything was wrong. During the landing flare the airplane floated and touched down long. The pilot said he did not have enough runway available to go around. The airplane departed the end of the runway continued down a 60-foot embankment into a swamp.
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: 165 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 126 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,136 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 5, 1996; 163 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,692 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1W1 Wiscasset ME at 2:10 am
- Destination: 6B4 NY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 2,550 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from UCA, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8139C on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Warrior, Archer and Arrow 18,621 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 8,559 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Frankfort-Highland Airport · nearest airport
- Grove Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 249 in the last ten years
- New York 6,659 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC97LA130.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.