- Date
- February 24, 1992, 20:08 local (Feb 25, 1992, 01:08 UTC)
- Place
- Unionville, PA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6928LCessna 310K
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920224040669A
- Case key
- 37055
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 did not follow the published IFR procedures and allowed the airplane to descend to an altitude insufficient to clear the terrain. Factors which contributed to the accident were: the pilot's apprehension due to the low fuel state, the dark night, adverse weather, and the mountainous terrain.
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 a vor-b approach the airplane impacted rising terrain 2.5 mi from the airport, at 1,785 ft MSL. The crash site was in line with the final approach course, at a point on the approach profile where the minimum altitude is 2,520 ft. the airplane was last refueled on 2/18; estimated flying time since then was 5.5 hrs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6928L
- Reported as
- Cessna 310K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310K-0028
- Airframe hours
- 5,877
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-VO, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Centre Airline Inc.
- Registered owner
- Centre Airline Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · February 1, 1992 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- JST · Johnstown, PA
- Destination
- UNV · State College, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- UNV · University Park, runway 6, 5,000 × 100 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
- 35
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 90° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- UNV, 2 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.