Piper PA-28-140 N1723T

Summary

On 15 November 2009 at about 22:11 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N1723T, operated by Malone Aviation, was involved in an accident near Newcomb, New York, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 November 2009 at 22:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Newcomb, New York, United States

Coordinates

44.0761, -74.1311

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N1723T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Malone Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Saratoga Sprngs → Malone

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA10LA066

2 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain during descent at night, with low clouds and fog.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were returning home on a night cross-country flight. The flight did not arrive and a search for the airplane ensued. The wreckage was found about 47 nautical miles from the destination airport, on the south side of a 4,600-foot mountain, about 600 feet below its peak. The initial impact area was a rock ledge, and a majority of the cabin and fuselage was consumed by postcrash fire. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preexisting mechanical anomalies and propeller signatures were indicative of engine power at impact. A portable global positioning system unit was found at the accident site; the data for the flight revealed that the airplane was in a shallow descent and on an approximate heading to the destination airport at the time of the accident. Although the exact weather conditions at the accident site were not determined, low clouds and fog were reported in the vicinity at the time of the accident. The accident occurred about 10 minutes after the end of civil twilight and there was no discernable moonlight at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.