- Date
- August 22, 1987, 20:54 local (Aug 23, 1987, 00:54 UTC)
- Place
- Nantucket, MA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N83232Piper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 30523
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 Piper PA-28-161 with a pilot and passenger onboard disappeared from the radar scope while being vectored to an ILS approach to rwy 24 at Nantucket, MA. The controller observed the aircraft in a southeasterly heading and asked the tower controller to question the pilot. The pilot replied that he was on the localizer. The last observed altitude of the aircraft was 900 ft. an oil slick and a nose wheel assembly were found offshore in the water. However no serialized components or major wreckage was recovered. Aircraft damage and injuries are presumed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N83232
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8316026
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ralph O. Porter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- HYA · Hyannis, MA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ACK · Nantucket, runway 24, 6,303 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 540 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Wind
- 230° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ACK, 13 nm away