- Date
- February 19, 1991, 12:25 local (17:25 UTC)
- Place
- Punxsutawney, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5512YPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910219002799A
- Case key
- 36881
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
Intentional flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions which resulted in a inflight collision with rising terrain, which was obscured by fog. A factor related to the accident was the pilots evaluation of the weather.
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 obtained weather information from the tv prior to departure and used loran as a means of navigation to his destination. He said he overflew the airport and then extended several miles. While maneuvering to return to the airport, the airplane flew into rising terrain, striking trees. A witness who heard the crash described the weather as foggy at the time of the accident with visibility between 100 and 200 feet. The pilot said he was maneuvering at 3000 feet, however, he struck a ridge at approximately 2200 foot. The pilot said the accident could have been prevented if he had maintained a higher altitude over the scattered clouds.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5512Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-2608
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William J. Williams, doing business as Tru-Lite Int'L Inc.
- Registered owner
- William J. Williams
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- BTP · Butler, CO
- Airport
- N35 · Punxsutawney Muni
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
- 66
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 5,000 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 15 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5512Y · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.