Piper PA-23-250 N5512Y
19 February 1991 · Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 19 February 1991 at about 17:25 local time, a Piper PA-23-250 registered N5512Y, operated by William J. Williams, was involved in an accident near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:25
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, United States
- Nearest airport
- Punxsutawney Muni (N35)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250
- Registration
- N5512Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- William J. Williams
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Butler → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC91LA078
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
INTENTIONAL FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WHICH RESULTED IN A INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH RISING TERRAIN, WHICH WAS OBSCURED BY FOG. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOTS EVALUATION OF THE WEATHER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT OBTAINED WEATHER INFORMATION FROM THE TV PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AND USED LORAN AS A MEANS OF NAVIGATION TO HIS DESTINATION. HE SAID HE OVERFLEW THE AIRPORT AND THEN EXTENDED SEVERAL MILES. WHILE MANEUVERING TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT, THE AIRPLANE FLEW INTO RISING TERRAIN, STRIKING TREES. A WITNESS WHO HEARD THE CRASH DESCRIBED THE WEATHER AS FOGGY AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WITH VISIBILITY BETWEEN 100 AND 200 FEET. THE PILOT SAID HE WAS MANEUVERING AT 3000 FEET, HOWEVER, HE STRUCK A RIDGE AT APPROXIMATELY 2200 FOOT. THE PILOT SAID THE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF HE HAD MAINTAINED A HIGHER ALTITUDE OVER THE SCATTERED CLOUDS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-23 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 1991 | Piper PA-23-250 | New Market, Virginia, United States | John Root | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Jul 1991 | Piper PA-23-250 | Templeton, Massachusetts, United States | Charles O'donnell | No injuries | - |
| 7 Feb 1991 | Piper PA-23-250 | Liberty, North Carolina, United States | Shamrock Gravure Products, Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Jul 1991 | Piper PA-23-250 | Manteo, North Carolina, United States | Brookfield Aviation, Inc | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Jan 1991 | Piper PA-23 | Bolivar, Tennessee, United States | Bolivar Aircraft Sales | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 1991 | Piper PA-23-250 | Lumberton, North Carolina, United States | Hester, Harry | Fatal | 1 |
All 1,716 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 1991 | Piper PA-22-150 | Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, United States | Skyhaven Airport, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 1991 | Boeing 747-400 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | KLM Royal Dutch Airline | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 1991 | Waco UPF-7 | Stebensville, Pennsylvania, United States | Kriss Alan Kliegle | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Jul 1991 | Piper PA-22-150 | Thomasville, Pennsylvania, United States | Richard Miller | No injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 1991 | Cessna 150J | Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, United States | John H Galicic | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 1991 | Piper PA-38-112 | Butler, Pennsylvania, United States | Beaver Aviation Service Inc. | No injuries | - |