# Accident 19970623045679A: Piper STCPA30, Highgate, VT, June 23, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 23, 1997, 12:00 local time
- Place: Highgate, VT
- Airport: Franklin County State Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 44.9389° N, 73.0971° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FRANKLIN COUNTY STATE (FSO), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.9389&lon=-73.0971&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8321Y, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8321Y-1997-10-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-30 (registry code 7103002, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER STCPA30
- Reported engine: LYC IO360F1A
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 600 total, 120 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC97LA126](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC97LA126) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970623045679A

## Narrative

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

THE PILOT LOADED 100 UNSECURED PAPER BUNDLES IN THE AIRPLANE THAT HAD A USEFULE LOAD OF 1,100 POUNDS. DURING THE INTITAL TAKEOFF CLIMB, THE AIRPLANE ROTATED NORMALLY, THEN PITCHED UP EXCESSIVELY. THE PILOT REDUCED POWER AND LOWERED THE NOSE TO PREVENT A STALL. HE THEN PERFORMED A FORCED LANDING INTO TREES. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS, NOR DID THE PILOT REPORT ANY. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS UNAWARE OF THE CARGO INVOICE THAT LISTED THE CARGO WEIGHT TO BE 1,800 POUNDS. THE CARGO WAS WEIGHED POST ACCIDENT, AND WAS DETERMINED TO BE 1,450 POUNDS.

## 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 NYC97LA126](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC97LA126), Jun 23, 1997: Piper PA-30 (N8321Y), Highgate, VT, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to secure the cargo. A factor was the pilot's failure to perform weight and balance calculations.

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.