- Date
- February 23, 1993, 20:16 local (Feb 24, 1993, 01:16 UTC)
- Place
- Lemont, PA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N47EBeech E18S
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930224003149A
- Case key
- 11868
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Improper inflight planning decision by the pilot, and his failure to maintain proper altitude during the approach. Factors related to the accident were darkness, adverse weather conditions, and high terrain.
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
The instrument rated pilot was en route to pick up cargo. He received three preflight weather briefings earlier that indicated snow, mountain obscuration, and low visibility. He reported, 'seeing the lights of university,' and requested a contact approach. He also said that if he could not get in, he would make an ILS approach. When the airplane was 4 miles south of the airport, the new york air traffic controller cleared the pilot for a contact approach to runway 24. A witness reported hearing a low flying airplane. He stated that it was snowing heavily and he saw the tail light of an airplane briefly through the snow. He also reported that a snow squall was in the area at the time. Shortly afterward, he heard what was later determined to be the sound of the collision. Search personnel located the wreckage 3.3 miles south of the airport on top of mount nittany which was about 2000 feet high.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N47E
- Reported as
- Beech E18S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- BA-183
- Airframe hours
- 12,910
- Engine
- P&W R-985, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Centre Airlines
- Registered owner
- Centre Airlines, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 22, 1993 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- RVL · Reedsville, PA
- Destination
- UNV · University Park, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- University Park
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
- 52
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,200 total · 4,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- UNV, 3 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.