- Date
- June 19, 1990, 00:07 local (04:07 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, ME
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N44897Piper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900619022349A
- Case key
- 36538
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain the proper altitude, while searching for the destination airport at night. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, fog obscuring the destination airport lights, mountainous terrain, and the lack of visual perception at night.
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 pilot received radar vectors toward the airport, but was unable to see the runway lights, though he tried activating them with his mike switch. He made several orbiting turns about 3 to 8 miles south of the airport. A witness said the airport was shrouded in heavy ground fog and that the visibility was poor at the airport about 2 hrs prior to the accident. The pilot was not instrument qualified, but he had about 66 hrs of night flying experience. The last radar return showed the airplane at about 1600 ft MSL, flying in an easterly direction about 4 mi south of the airport. On 6/24/90, the wreckage was found about 7 mi south-southeast of the airport. It had collided with a 1600 ft mountain at an elevation of about 1460 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44897
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7816039
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John P. Budzyna
- Departed
- BVY · Beverly, MA
- Destination
- 3B1 · Greenville, ME
- Airport
- 3B1 · Greenville
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
- 35
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 405 total · 250 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 57 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.