- Date
- April 17, 1992, 00:56 local (04:56 UTC)
- Place
- Hamburg, PA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N62774Piper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920417010309A
- Case key
- 37058
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 improper in-flight decision, his failure to follow proper IFR procedures, and an improperly planned approach, which resulted in an inflight collision with rising terrain during the execution of the missed approach procedure. Factors related to the accident were: the pilot's improper preflight planning and preparation.
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 was at a cruise altitude of 4000 ft., en route to reading. He was issued a clearance to execute the ILS approach to rwy 36. At the time the plt received the clearance, he was at 4000 ft. and 3 miles from the outer marker (lom). The lom is located 3.9 from the end of runway 36 and the glideslope intercept altitude was 1636 feet MSL. Approximately 7 minutes after accepting the approach clearance, the plt contacted ATC and stated he was executing the 'missed approach.' The wreckage was located in mountainous terrain, at an elevation of about 1,100 ft, approximately 13 miles north of the airport. Based on the last recorded groundspeed of 174 knots, the airplane would have travelled approximately 20 NM from the time the plt received the approach clearance (6.9 NM from the airport) to the time he began to execute the missed approach.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62774
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 277754013
- Airframe hours
- 6,284
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Basco Flying Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Basco Flying Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · April 6, 1992 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- PHL · Philadelphia, PA
- Destination
- RDG · Reading, PA
- Flight plan
- 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
- 33
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,397 total · 2,205 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 60° at 5 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MDT, 44 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.