Piper PA-32-260 accident near Westerly, Rhode Island, September 5, 1999
On September 5, 1999 at about 3:53 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N4830S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Westerly, Rhode Island (Westerly State Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control of the airplane during a turn.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1999 · about 3:53 pm local time
- Place
- Westerly, Rhode Island · Westerly State Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N4830S · no longer on the register · serial 32-1261
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a passenger, the airplane departed normally but seemed 'very shaky.' As the airplane climbed, it began to slowly turn to the right, and the pilot had a concerned look on his face as he reached up to an area where the air vents were located. The pilot then moved his right hand down to an area where the communications and navigation radios were located, and appeared to turn a dial. The pilot then immediately moved his right hand from the radio area to the yoke, gripping the yoke with both hands and turning it about 90 degrees to the left. The airplane banked to the left, descended, and impacted terrain in an open field about 200 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. Witnesses recalled hearing the airplane's engine 'operating normally,' as it departed. Rotational damage was observed on both propeller blades after the accident.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,259 hours in all; 202 in this make and model; 4,010 as pilot in command; 1,245 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,092 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 2, 1999; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WST at 3:52 pm
- Destination: BID Block Island RI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 4,010 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,700 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from WST
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N4830S 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.