Piper Aerostar 602P accident near Bradford, PA
On October 4, 2002, a Piper Aerostar 602P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bradford, PA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 4, 2002
- Place
- Bradford, PA
- Aircraft
- Piper Aerostar 602P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.751°N, 78.568°W
- NTSB ID
- 20021018X05332
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 3, 2002, about 2133 eastern daylight time, a Piper Aerostar 602P, N700DJ, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while on the ILS Runway 32 approach to Bradford Regional Airport (BFD), Bradford, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and the airplane was operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The personal flight, which originated from Evansville Regional Airport (EVV), Evansville, Indiana, was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the published instrument approach procedure for the ILS Runway 32 approach at Bradford, the final approach course was 322 degrees, and the decision altitude was 2,370 feet. The minimum descent altitude was 3,400 feet, until established on the glideslope. The glideslope crossing altitude at the outer marker was 3,333 feet. The outer marker was 3.7 nautical miles from the approach end of runway 32. The elevation of Bradford Airport was 2,143 feet. A National Transportation Safety Board air traffic control specialist examined the radar data and voice recordings provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). According to a review of the information, the pilot contacted the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center at 2109:24, and advised that he was level at 9,000 feet. The controller issued a Bradford altimeter setting of 30.11 inches of mercury, and provided the current weather conditions at Bradford. The pilot acknowledged the transmission. At 2110:20, the controller stated, "what type of approach you loo
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to follow the published instrument approach procedure, which resulted in an early descent into trees and terrain. A factor was the night, instrument meteorological conditions.
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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.
