- Date
- October 10, 2025, 19:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- New Milford, CT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N28170Socata TB 10
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report December 11, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA, BEA
- FAA report
- 20251010016619A
- Case key
- 201856
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to depart from an unlit turf runway at night, which resulted in a loss of directional control, and subsequent runway excursion.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was attempting to take off from an unlit turf runway about 1 hour after the end of civil twilight. The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll, he was unable to recognize the runway’s side boundaries and the airplane veered left and exited the runway. The airplane struck trees and fencing resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N28170
- Reported as
- Socata TB 10
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1157
- Built
- 1991
- Airframe hours
- 2,864
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 11, 2025 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- 11N · New Milford, CT
- Destination
- FRG · Farmingdale, NY
- Airport
- 11N · Candlelight Farms, runway 17, 2,900 × 50 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 26, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,276 total · 1,217 in this make and model · 28 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.37 inHg
- Observed at
- KDXR, 12 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KDXR 102253Z 17004KT 10SM CLR 12/05 A3037
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 11, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.