# Accident 19761231041679A: Piper 601SMITH, Dunkirk, NY, December 31, 1976

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 31, 1976
- Place: Dunkirk, NY
- Airport: Dunkirk
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach-IFR
- Location: 42.4744° N, 79.3472° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at Dunkirk Airport, closed, within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.4744&lon=-79.3472&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7437S, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7437S-2013-05-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Smith AEROSTAR 601 (registry code 8360606, https://openairdocs.org/model/smith-aerostar-601) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER 601SMITH
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,500 total, 200 in this make and model, 33 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC77FFJ08](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC77FFJ08) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19761231041679A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PLT CANCELLED IFR PLAN.WHILE CIRCLING LOST VISUAL CTC WITH ARPT,BECAME DISORIENTED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC77FFJ08](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC77FFJ08), Dec 31, 1976: Ted Smith 601 (N7437S), Dunkirk, NY, substantial damage

## Other reports on N7437S (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19790109012559A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19790109012559A), Jan 9, 1979: Piper 601SMITH (N7437S), Grand Rapids, MI, Destroyed, 3 fatal. Proceeded into known severe icing. Unable to maintain altitude. Acft stalled on final approach to unscheduled lndg.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.