Piper PA-28-180 accident near Thomasville, PA
On January 29, 2012, a Piper PA-28-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Thomasville, PA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 29, 2012
- Place
- Thomasville, PA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.925°N, 76.876°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120129X34027
Official records · ERA12FA163
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 29, 2012, about 1242 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N1352T, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while on approach to the York Airport (THV), Thomasville, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that originated from Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK), Frederick, Maryland, about 1200. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The airplane was owned by a flying club and based at FDK. According to the President of the flying club, the pilot was one of nine owner-members. He believed the pilot was interested in building up cross-country flight experience and intended to pursue an instrument rating. A sectional chart, located in the cockpit of the airplane depicted a highlighted route from FDK to the Carroll County Airport (DMW), Westminster, Maryland, to THV, and back to FDK. Witnesses at THV observed the airplane on approach to runway 17, a 5,188-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt runway. They reported that the airplane looked "very low," "slow" and was rocking from side-to-side when it made a sudden left turn, pitched up, and then descended toward the ground nose-first. The airplane's left wing initially impacted the ground, followed by the nose. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 56, held a private pilot certificate, with a rating for airplane single-engine land. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) t
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during an approach in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall.
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.
