- Date
- December 15, 2005, 21:09 local (Dec 16, 2005, 02:09 UTC)
- Place
- State College, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N62497Piper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report March 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20051215030759A
- Case key
- 62964
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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff run. A factor was the snow-covered runway.
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 pilot taxied to the snow-covered runway for takeoff, and following a run-up check of the engines, taxied onto the runway and began the takeoff roll. The airplane accelerated "normally" down the runway, and when it reached about 80 knots airspeed, it veered to the left. The airplane subsequently departed the runway and impacted a snow bank, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot taxied to the snow-covered runway for takeoff, and following a run-up check of the engines, taxied onto the runway and began the takeoff roll. The airplane accelerated "normally" down the runway, and when it reached about 80 knots airspeed, it veered to the left. The airplane subsequently departed the runway and impacted a snow bank, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62497
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-7654021
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Northeast Aviation Co Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- UNV · State College, PA
- Destination
- PNE · Philadelphia, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- UNV · University Park Airport, runway 24
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 7,300 total · 700 in this make and model · 300 in the last 90 days · 120 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.