Piper PA31 accident near Colton, NY
On May 4, 2017, a Piper PA31 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Colton, NY. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 4, 2017
- Place
- Colton, NY
- Aircraft
- Piper PA31 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 44.531°N, 74.891°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170503X23550
Official records · ERA17FA172
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Transcript - Translated: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 3, 2017, about 2030 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-31, Canadian registration C-GQAM, impacted trees and terrain near Colton, New York. The Canadian commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by Strait Air (2000) Ltd. as an air taxi flight under the provisions of Canadian Aviation Regulation 703. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was operated on a visual flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from Quebec/Jean Lesage International Airport (CYQB), Quebec, Quebec, Canada, at 1916, and was destined for Montreal Saint-Hubert Longueuil Airport (CYHU), Saint Hubert, Quebec, Canada. According to the operator, the flight's estimated duration was 1 hour, and the airplane departed with 720 pounds (120 gallons) of fuel on board. According to CYQB Terminal Control air traffic control data, at 1919, the pilot was cleared to fly direct to CYHU at 2,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The pilot acknowledged the clearance, and there were no further radio transmissions from the pilot. The airplane continued flying a straight course, at 2,100 ft msl, overflew CYHU, and impacted terrain about 100 miles beyond the destination airport. One witness heard the airplane flying over her house and reported that the engine sounded like it was "spitting and sputtering." The sound lasted for about 5 to 10 seconds and then stopped. Shortly thereafter, the witness heard "a loud bang." Another witness was inside his home when he heard a "low whining noise" that was followed by "a loud
Probable cause
The pilot's incapacitation for unknown reasons, which resulted in an overflight of his destination, a subsequent loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, and collision with terrain.
More accidents in NY
- Airbus Industrie A300B4-605R, Nov 12, 2001
- Boeing 747-131, Jul 18, 1996
- Bombardier Inc DHC-8-402, Feb 13, 2009
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-40, Apr 12, 2025
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 15, 1989
Browse: New York · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
