- Date
- April 13, 1991, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hollidaysburg, PA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8073YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 7, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910413010289A
- Case key
- 36788
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 loss of control for undetermined reasons.
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 an instrument climb the pilot lost control of the airplane. The pilot had departed the airport during low ceilings with light rain and fog. Several layers of clouds existed during the climb. Rain, thunderstorms, and turbulence within the thunderstorms had been forecast. Pilot reports east of the flight path had included light icing from the surface to five thousand. The airplane had been cleared to six thousand. The pilot was instructed to contact new york center with an altitude readout of 4500 ft . The pilot never established contact. Cleveland center lost rdar contact at 5300 ft at approximately nine miles from the airport. The airplane had been airborne for approximately ten minutes. The airplane impacted trees, cables, and terrain. Based on the physical evidence the airplane maintained structural integrity until impact. Post accident investigation of the engines revealed no anomalies that would have contributed to the accident. The wreckage path was 1,176 feet long.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8073Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-1187
- Engine
- Lycoming I0-320-C1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Frances Mccully
- Registered owner
- Frank W. Marino
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- AOO · Altoona, PA
- Destination
- N97 · Clearfield, PA
- Flight plan
- VFR/IFR
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 433 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AOO, 9 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.