Accident: Piper PA44
Aug 27, 2015 · Houlton, ME
NTSB numberERA15FA326Event id20150827X03425
- 1
- Fatalities
- 0
- Serious injuries
- 0
- Minor injuries
- 0
- Uninjured
Probable cause
The pilot's descent below the published minimum descent altitude in night instrument meteorological conditions without visual contact with the runway environment, which resulted in a collision with trees and terrain short of the runway. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's acute fatigue and his decision to attempt an instrument approach procedure that was not authorized at night.
Source: National Transportation Safety Board. Record last changed Oct 28, 2026, 10:54 UTC.
Aircraft involved
- Aircraft
- Piper PA44
- Registration
- N553MD
- Year built
- 1980
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Operating rules
- Part 91: general aviation
- Defining event
- Approach-IFR final approach Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
Source: National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident database. Counts only; Voydar holds no names.
Nearest airports
Airports with a Voydar profile closest to the recorded position. Proximity only.
- Houlton International Airport (HUL)1 nm (3 km) north
This page restates the NTSB's public record. Injury figures are counts; Voydar does not hold or publish the names of anyone involved.