- Date
- October 3, 1986, 19:37 local (23:37 UTC)
- Place
- Holyoke, MA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N38688Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861003047559A
- Case key
- 30465
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft was attempting to make a special visual flight rules arrival when it crashed into a rock face slope 2 miles east of the airport while on a easterly heading. The accident occurred over 1 hour after sunset. The pilot did not have an instrument rating. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. A special weather observation taken right after the accident showed the weather to be: estimated 400 ft broken, 1400 ft overcast. Visibility 1 1/2 miles with light rain and fog.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38688
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7725259
- Airframe hours
- 3,800
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-ED3, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gerald C. White
- Registered owner
- Robert Mcneill
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 13, 1986 · 51 hours before
- Departed
- 7B2 · Northampton, MA
- Destination
- BAF · Westfield, MA
- Airport
- BAF · Barnes
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 230 total · 90 in this make and model · 190 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BAF, 2 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.