# Accident 19801226078539A: Piper PA28140, Palenville, NY, December 26, 1980

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 26, 1980, 13:30 local time
- Place: Palenville, NY
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.1857° N, 74.0290° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Palenville, NY, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.1857&lon=-74.0290&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4308F, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4308F-1997-10-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28140
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 132 total, 132 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC81DFA09](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC81DFA09) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19801226078539A

## Narrative

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

ENCOUNTERED SEVERE DOWNDRAFT AT 1000 FEET ABOVE TERRAIN. UNABLE TO CHECK DESCENT.STRUCK TREES ON A RIDGE.

## 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 NYC81DFA09](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC81DFA09), Dec 26, 1980: Piper PA-28 (N4308F), Palenville, NY, substantial damage

## Other reports on N4308F (2)

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

- [Accident 19960910026749A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960910026749A), Sep 10, 1996: Piper PA28140 (N4308F), Lancaster, CA, Substantial damage. Veered on touch and go. Overcorrected. Skidded off runway. Nose gear collapsed in soft soil. Bent a wing.
- [Incident 19890825040869I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19890825040869I), Aug 25, 1989: Piper PA28140 (N4308F), Beaver Falls, PA, Minor damage. Student landed hard. On rollout, aircraft swerved onto grass due to overcontrol of rudder. Damage to nose wheel.

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.