- Date
- December 11, 1985, 10:23 local (15:23 UTC)
- Place
- Corning, NY
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7770YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851211066279A
- Case key
- 6913
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During ILS runway 6 approach acft hit high terrain short of the outer marker. When on downwind for approach pilot said he was not receiving the localizer and asked for a surveillance approach. Controller said he could not provide. When cleared for the ILS approach pilot said he was expecting an approach to elmira. Controller said he was getting approach to elmira and repeated clearance. Pilot said he had an approach chart for runway 24 but not 6. He was given localizer freq. And later reported on the localizer course. Radar display indicated same. Post crash testing showed glide slope receiver in acft was out of adjustment but capable of functioning. Acft appeared to have flown into trees in level attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7770Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-856
- Airframe hours
- 2,009
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-BIA, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Fred Riger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 26, 1985 · 81 hours before
- Departed
- LDJ · Linden, NJ
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ELM · Elmira, runway 6
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,719 total · 3,601 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ELM, 5 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.