- Date
- January 19, 1991, 13:44 local (18:44 UTC)
- Place
- Sherburne, VT
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N777CLPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910119000859A
- Case key
- 36867
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 pilots intentional flight into icing conditions with an airplane not equipped for flight in known icing conditions. This resulted in an uncontrolled descent and contact with trees in instrument meteorological conditions. Factors related to the accident were: the pilots disregard of the weather briefing which included flight precautions for moderate icing, and his overconfidence in his ability and the airplane's limitations.
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 CFI received a pre takeoff weather briefing which included forecast moderate icing conditions. He took off with a student, in an airplane equipped with a heated pitot tube, but not certified for flight into icing conditions. 30 minutes after takeoff the airplane was unable to maintain altitude due to ice accumulations. The pilot was receiving radar vectors to a nearby airport when he disappeared from radar followed shortly by a loss of communications. In a post crash interview, the pilot said the landing gear extended automatically and he was unable to retract them, and this condition contributed to his failure to maintain altitude. The student pilot on board said the CFI successfully retracted the landing gear and the airplane still could not maintain altitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N777CL
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7435242
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-CIC, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Gerald P. Healy
- Registered owner
- Gerald P. Healy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- MPV · Montpelier, VT
- Destination
- 7MY · Mount Holly, NJ
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- RUT · Rutland
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
- 39
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Invalid Medical for flight
- Flight hours
- 2,631 total · 210 in this make and model · 2,531 as pilot in command · 153 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- 40 ft overcast
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.