Beech A23-24 accident near Shunk, PA
On September 7, 1998, a Beech A23-24 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Shunk, PA. 5 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 7, 1998
- Place
- Shunk, PA
- Aircraft
- Beech A23-24 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 5 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.560°N, 76.759°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X11145
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 7, 1998, at 1653 Eastern Daylight Time, a Beech A23-24 Musketeer, N453D, was destroyed when it impacted terrain after an in-flight breakup near Shunk, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot-owner, another certificated private pilot, and three additional passengers were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at altitude, while visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. No flight plan was filed for the flight between Elmira/Corning Regional Airport (ELM), Elmira, New York, and New London Airport (N01), New London, Pennsylvania. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. A friend, who was also a pilot, stated that the occupants of the airplane had stayed overnight at his farm. On the day of the accident, he told them that he, personally, would not want to fly on that day because of the weather. He suggested that they stay another night, but received a collective "no" from the group because school was starting the next day for the children, the wife was in nursing school, and the husband, the additional pilot, had to get back to his business. He then "begged with heart and soul" that they not fly, and offered to drive home with the group, then bring their rental car back. The pilots responded that they would check the weather while at the airport, and would not fly if it was too bad. According to the line manager at Elmira, the weather was overcast when the airplane took off, but it was not raining. The occupants of the airplane were "pretty concerned about the weather" and "the guy
Probable cause
The pilot-in-command's attempted flight into known adverse weather conditions, his failure to maintain control of the aircraft, and his exceeding the airframe design limits resulting in separation of the outboard left wing. Contributing factors were clouds, self induced pressure, spatial disorientation, and the lack of instrument certification/experience of both the pilot and pilot/passenger.
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 · Beech 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.
