# Accident 19910219002799A: Piper PA23250, Punxsutawney, PA, February 19, 1991

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 19, 1991, 12:25 local time
- Place: Punxsutawney, PA
- Airport: Punxsutawney Municipal Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.9668° N, 78.9299° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at PUNXSUTAWNEY MUNI (N35), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.9668&lon=-78.9299&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5512Y, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5512Y-1997-04-21) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA23250
- Reported engine: LYC IO540*
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC91LA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC91LA078) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19910219002799A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT CRASHED ATTEMPTING TO LAND. (.4) 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.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC91LA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC91LA078), Feb 19, 1991: Piper PA-23-250 (N5512Y), Punxsutawney, PA, destroyed. 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…

## Other reports on N5512Y (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19830513019199A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19830513019199A), May 13, 1983: Piper PA23250 (N5512Y), East Liverpool, OH, Substantial damage. Landed gear up. Everything normal except pilot neglected to lower the landing gear.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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