# Accident 19951203039419A: Piper PA28235, Somerset, PA, December 3, 1995

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 3, 1995, 17:43 local time
- Place: Somerset, PA
- Airport: Somerset County Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.0398° N, 78.9993° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.0398&lon=-78.9993&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8775W, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8775W-1996-05-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-235 (registry code 7102810, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-235) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28235
- Reported engine: LYC O540B4B5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI96FA045](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96FA045) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19951203039419A

## Narrative

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

DESCENDED BELOW MDA ON NIGHT NDA APPROACH RUNWAY. COLLIDED WITH A KNOWN RIDGE ON APPROACH PATH.

## 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 CHI96FA045](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96FA045), Dec 3, 1995: Piper PA-28 (N8775W), Friedens, PA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to follow instrument approach procedures, by not maintaining proper altitude and by descending below the minimum descent altitude. Factors relating to the accident were: the air…

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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