Piper PA-28-161 accident near Toughkenamon, PA
On July 25, 2004, a Piper PA-28-161 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Toughkenamon, PA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 25, 2004
- Place
- Toughkenamon, PA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.835°N, 75.766°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040728X01084
NTSB summary
On July 25, 2004, about 1620 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161, N38355, was destroyed when it collided with parked vehicles and a hangar at New Garden Airport (N57), Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to several witnesses, the pilot was conducting touch and go landings to runway 06. One witness stated that he heard the airplane's engine power up, then reduce power, then power up again. He looked toward the sound and saw the airplane in the grass, "fishtailing as would a wheelbarrow." The airplane then missed a group of fuel pumps, continued down a hill, hit parked cars and the hangar at what appeared to be a high rate of speed and full throttle, then exploded. Another witness heard the pilot on the radio state, "new garden, warrior three eight three five five turning final for touch and go, new garden. The witness looked toward the runway and saw the airplane "sliding" through the grass, and it appeared to be heading toward the airport office. The airplane then "slid some more, [and] barely missed the gas pumps," struck another airplane, and "[went] right into the...hangar and blew up." A third witness stated that he was standing on the ramp with a group of people, when they heard an airplane at "high power," then saw it on the ground and "out of control." The airplane missed the fuel pumps, but proceeded "down the taxiway until it impacted the hangar and immediately
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to add power, in an attempt to abort the landing after the airplane had veered off the runway. A factor was the pilot's failure to maintain directional control after the landing.
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.
