# Accident 19990716009079A: Piper PA32R300, Vineyard, MA, July 16, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 16, 1999, 21:41 local time
- Place: Vineyard, MA
- Damage: Damage unknown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft: N9253N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9253N-2015-05-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32R-301 (registry code 7103218, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-301) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA32R300
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC99MA178](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99MA178) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990716009079A

## Narrative

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

OVERDUE ON FLIGHT FROM CALDWELL, NJ TO VINEYARD, MA. (-23) AT THIS TIME NO CAUSAL FACTOR ARE KNOWN.

## 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 NYC99MA178](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99MA178), Jul 17, 1999: Piper PA-32R-301 (N9253N), Vineyard Haven, MA, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation. Factors in the accident were haze, and the dark night.

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.

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