De Havilland DHC-6 N3257

Summary

On 12 October 1985 at about 01:40 local time, a De Havilland DHC-6 registered N3257, operated by Mountain Air Cargo, Inc., was involved in an accident near Homer City, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

12 October 1985 at 01:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Homer City, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

39.8008, -79.7999

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-6

Registration

N3257

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Mountain Air Cargo, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

State College → Pittsburgh

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

NYC86FA006

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AT LOW ALTITUDE ALONG ABOUT A 5 MILE DISTANCE. SOME WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE ACFT ALTITUDE AS JUST ABOVE TREETOPS. WITNESS HEARD ENGINE SOUNDS AND SAW LIGHTS ON THE ACFT. THE ACFT FLIGHT WAS ON A SOUTHEAST DIRECTION BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH RISING TERRAIN AT A HEIGHT OF ABOUT 1250 FT. THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED ALONG A DISTANCE OF 375 FT AND ORIENTED ON A 160 DEGREE MAGNETIC HEADING. THE DESTINATION, PITTSBURGH, IS LOCATED SOUTHWEST OF THE DEPARTURE POINT, STATE COLLEGE. EVIDENCE OF ACFT MALFUNCTION WAS NOT DISCLOSED. THE ACFT HAD 1902 LBS OF CARGO INCLUDING 65 LBS OF DRY ICE WHICH WAS CONTAINED IN STYROFOAM BOXES. AUTOPSY AND TOXICOLOGICAL FINDINGS WERE NEGATIVE. THE PLT FLEW NIGHTLY, FROM STATE COLLEGE TO PITTSBURGH AND RETURNED THE FOLLOWING MORNING. HE OPERATED A BUSINESS DURING THE DAY. WITNESSES STATED THE PLT WAS WELL RESTED AND IN GOOD SPIRITS BEFORE THE FLIGHT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.