Piper PA-601P accident near West Dover, Vermont, August 8, 1999
On August 8, 1999 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-601P, registered N9756Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Dover, Vermont (Mount Snow 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
was the diverted attention of the pilot, which resulted in his failure to maintain airspeed, and his failure to lower the landing gear prior to landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1999 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- West Dover, Vermont · Mount Snow
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-601P
- Registration
- N9756Q · no longer on the register · serial 61P-0374-121
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot cancelled his IFR clearance as he neared his destination airport, and flew visually. When the airplane was about 3 to 5 miles from the airport, he lowered the landing gear and wing flaps. When the airplane was about 2 miles away, he lost visual contact with the runway, added power for a go-around, and retracted the wing flaps and landing gear. When he was about 1/2 mile from the runway, he re-acquired the runway visually. He reduced the power, and lowered the flaps; however, he forgot to lower the landing gear. He also failed to maintain airspeed and the airplane dropped in from about 50 feet. The lower aft fuselage was crushed upon touchdown.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,350 hours in all; 465 in this make and model; 12,350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,850 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 1999; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ITH Ithaca NY at 2:45 pm
- Destination: 4V8
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 2,650 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N9756Q 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.