- Date
- September 25, 1987, 02:28 local (06:28 UTC)
- Place
- Montoursville, PA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N38364Piper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 30518
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
The plt initiated the ILS approach and acknowledged a frequency change. The acft was found on a steep hill one mile south of the airport. No evidence of an engine or control system malfunction was found. It appeared that the pilot made a missed approach and flew into high terrain. There was a 2 1/2 hour delay between the time of the crash and confirmation of the crash. The pilot was found outside of the wreckage approximately 5 hours later. An AME said the crash was survivable and that the pilot had exited the aircraft on his own after the accident. He said that although the pilot experienced serious injuries, none of them were lethal. The temperature dropped to 46 degrees with a wind chill temperature of 36 degrees during the night. The autopsy showed the pilot had died of exposure and shock.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38364
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 327740083
- Airframe hours
- 2,686
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-KIG5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Paragon Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Paragon Flying Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 17, 1987 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- PWK · Wheeling, IL
- Destination
- IPT · Williamsport, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- IPT · Williamsport, runway 27, 6,449 × 150 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
- 61
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 120 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IPT, 1 nm away