Piper PA-32R-300 N47630

Summary

On 23 September 2025 at about 01:00 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N47630 was involved in an accident near White Plains, New York, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 September 2025 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

White Plains, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Westchester County (HPN)

Coordinates

41.0717, -73.7106

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N47630

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

West Tisbury → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA25LA363

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain proper glidepath during a night visual approach, which resulted in a collision with the runway lighting system. Contributing to the outcome was the pilot’s momentary disorientation due to glare from the runway approach lighting system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was landing the airplane in night visual meteorological conditions. The pilot reported that during the turn to final approach, the tower air traffic controller cleared a large transport-category airplane for departure. To avoid potential wake turbulence, the pilot adjusted the planned touchdown point to be before the expected rotation point of the departing airplane. While reconfiguring for the new touchdown point, the pilot encountered glare from the runway approach lighting system, which temporarily degraded his night vision and momentary disoriented him. The airplane then began to sink and as the pilot was making corrective control inputs he felt a “bump,” after which he landed uneventfully. Subsequent examination of the runway’s approach lighting system and the airplane revealed that the airplane had struck the runway lighting system before touchdown, resulting in substantial damage to the root sections of both wings and the right side of the stabilator. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.