- Date
- January 2, 1993, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Philipsburg, PA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N15141Piper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930102000109A
- Case key
- 11892
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
The inadequate removal of snow from the runways by airport personnel and the procedures/directives for airport snow removal not understood.
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 a touch and go at mid state airport, upon touch down and lowering of the airplane's nose on runway 24, the student pilot and CFI noticed a snow bank across the runway at the intersection of runway 16/34. The CFI instructed the student to takeoff immediately. The student applied full takeoff power, and just after lift off they heard a 'thump'. The airplane's left main gear impacted the snow bank and was torn away from the airplane causing substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and left wing and flap. The student and CFI continued the takeoff and returned to their base airport where a fly by was accomplished and a damage assessment was accomplished by ground personnel. The CFI made an emergency landing and the airplane occupants exited the airplane with no reported injuries. The CFI stated that they did fly over mid state airport prior to landing and that they did not see anything on the runway. The manager of mid state airport reported that the person who snow plowed runway 16/34 was new to the airport and was not aware that the other runway was in use, hence, did not remove the plowed snow from the intersecting runway. There were no notices to airmen published concerning a closure of runway 24.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15141
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7305027
- Airframe hours
- 1,880
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Lawrence S. Levinson
- Registered owner
- Lawrence S. Levinson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 20, 1992 · 68 hours before
- Destination
- N96 · Bellefonte, PA
- Airport
- PSB · Mid State, runway 24, 5,006 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 51
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 778 total · 53 in this make and model · 616 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- UNV, 20 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.