Piper PA-23-150 accident near Fitchburg, Massachusetts, October 31, 1997
On October 31, 1997 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-150, registered N3EV, was destroyed in an accident near Fitchburg, Massachusetts (Fitchburg Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's inadequate in-flight decision and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a loss of control. Contributing was the flight instructor's failure to follow standard practices while simulating and practicing emergency procedures which resulted in his initiating of a single-engine go around and reduced climb performance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 1997 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fitchburg, Massachusetts · Fitchburg Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-150 · all PA-23-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3EV · registry record · serial 23-1084
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was the second multi-engine training flight for the pilot trainee. On final approach the left engine was observed feathered and the landing gear was extended. With a clear runway ahead, a single engine go-around was initiated. The airplane was observed in a very shallow climb. Witnesses then saw the airplane descend in a nose down attitude and strike the ground. Investigation revealed the airplane had impacted the ground with the left engine propeller feathered, and the landing gear extended. No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction was found with the airplane or feathered engine. A check of certification requirements for the airplane revealed it was not required to perform a single engine go-around. FAA and AOPA publications cautioned against performing single engine go-arounds. The flight instructor had previously performed a single engine go-around in the same airplane, also with the left engine shut down. However, the landing gear was retracted. The student in that flight said the airplane climbed between 50 and 200 FPM.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,407 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 116 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 5,233 as pilot in command; 3,573 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,477 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 17, 1997; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B3B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FIT at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 32, 4,511 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:17 pm from FIT, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.