Piper PA-28 accident near Friedens, PA
On December 3, 1995, a Piper PA-28 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Friedens, PA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 3, 1995
- Place
- Friedens, PA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.040°N, 78.999°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X04963
NTSB summary
History of Flight On December 3, 1995, at 1743 eastern standard time (All times in EST unless noted), a Piper PA-28, N8775W, was destroyed when it impacted the ground near Friedens, Pennsylvania. The private pilot received fatal injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight departed Watertown, Wisconsin, en route to Somerset, Pennsylvania. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. An instrument flight plan had been filed. A witness reported that the pilot had planned to depart from Watertown Municipal Airport, Watertown, Wisconsin, at 1200 central standard time (CST), but was delayed and did not depart until 1245 CST. The witness reported that the pilot knew that it would be dark when he arrived at his destination. He had also originally plannned to go over Lake Michigan, but decided instead to go around the lake, which increased his en route time by 15 minutes. The witness reported that the pilot had flown in Pennsylvania numerous times, and was aware that he needed to clear the ridge going into Somerset County Airport. On December 3, 1996, at about 1130 CST, the pilot accessed the WeatherMation Flight Plan as part of his preflight planning. The pilot entered his takeoff airport as Watertown (RYV), Wisconsin, and the destination airport as Somerset (2G9), Pennsylvania. The alternate airport was Johnstown (JST), Pennsylvania. The pilot entered the following information: Estimated departure time was 1200 CST; altitude was 8000 feet; fuel on board was 84 gallons; true airspeed was 115 knots; fuel burn rate was 12 gallons per hour. The computed total distance was 563 nautical mile
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to follow instrument approach procedures, by not maintaining proper altitude and by descending below the minimum descent altitude. Factors relating to the accident were: the air traffic controller's failure to issue a proper clearance, the dark night, clouds, and mountainous terrain.
More accidents in PA
- Boeing B-737-300, Sep 8, 1994
- Boeing 757, Sep 11, 2001
- British Aerospace J-3101, May 21, 2000
- Bell UH-1N, May 29, 2008
- Beech A36, Jul 30, 1989
Browse: Pennsylvania · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
