Piper PA-34-200T accident near Johnstown, NY
On May 24, 2013, a Piper PA-34-200T (airplane) was involved in an accident near Johnstown, NY. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 24, 2013
- Place
- Johnstown, NY
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.040°N, 74.517°W
- NTSB ID
- 20130524X84708
Official records · ERA13FA253
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Transcripts: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 24, 2013, at 1710 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA34-200T, N31743, operating as Angel Flight 743, was destroyed during an in-flight breakup near Johnstown, New York. The commercial pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which departed Laurence G. Hanscom Field Airport (BED), Bedford, Massachusetts, and was destined for Griffiss International Airport (RME), Rome, New York. The flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The purpose of the volunteer medical transport flight was to return the patient and his spouse from the Boston, Massachusetts, area to their home in New York. The flight departed BED at 1603, and the pilot contacted air traffic control (ATC). Radar contact was established at 1604, and the flight was incrementally cleared to a cruise altitude of 8,000 feet msl. At 1630, ATC advised the pilot of an area of moderate to occasionally heavy precipitation along the airplane's route of flight. The pilot indicated that he "[had] the weather upload" and was aware of the precipitation. ATC instructed the pilot to advise if he required a deviation around the weather, and the pilot acknowledged. About 15 minutes later, the pilot requested and was issued a 20-degree left deviation for precipitation. At 1643, ATC asked the pilot if he was able to turn back on course. The pilot requested to fly to the very high frequency omni-directional range (VOR) at Albany International
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of control due to spatial disorientation in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's design stress limitations, and a subsequent in-flight breakup.
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Browse: New York · 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.
