Piper PA-32-300 N28196
15 January 1993 · Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 15 January 1993 at about 13:33 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N28196, operated by Martin Maerz, was involved in an accident near Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:33
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.2408, -79.2310
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300
- Registration
- N28196
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Martin Maerz
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Smoketown → Latrobe
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- BFO93FA050
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE FROM THE WOODED TERRAIN. THE TERRAIN AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
ON JANUARY 15, 1993, THE PILOT REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING FROM FSS PERSONNEL FOR A FLIGHT FROM SMOKETOWN, PA, TO LATROBE, PA. THE PILOT WAS ISSUED FLIGHT PRECAUTIONS AND FORECASTS FOR IFR CONDITIONS. VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. A RADAR TARGET WAS OBSERVED DEPARTING SMOKETOWN AT 0727 EST AND WAS TRACKED TOWARDS LATROBE. THE AIRPLANE WAS REPORTED MISSING LATER THE SAME MORNING AND A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE AIRPLANE WRECKAGE AND OCCUPANTS WERE LOCATED ON MARCH 18, 1993. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE AND AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE CONTACTED TREES AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN AND THEN IMPACTED THE TERRAIN AT ABOUT AN ALTITUDE OF 2,800 FEET MSL. NO AIRFRAME OR ENGINE ANOMALIES WERE NOTED. THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS NON INSTRUMENT RATED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-32 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Dec 1993 | Piper PA-32-300 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Feb 1993 | Piper PA-32-300 | Truckee, California, United States | Baker, Raymond C. SR. | Fatal | 4 |
| 30 Nov 1993 | Piper PA-32-300 | Fallon, Nevada, United States | Fallon Aeromotive, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 1993 | Piper PA-32-260 | Riverton, Wyoming, United States | Karl T. Lieb | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Apr 1993 | Piper PA-32-300 | Danville, Arkansas, United States | Henderson, Paul J. | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 1993 | Piper PA-32-300 | Skagway, Alaska, United States | Skagway Air Service, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,695 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 1993 | Piper PA-28-161 | Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, United States | Air Atlantic Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 8 May 1993 | Cessna 172 | Towanda, Pennsylvania, United States | Glenn E. Murphy | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Sep 1993 | Schweizer SGS2-33A | Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, United States | PGH Soaring Club Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 6 Sep 1993 | Sterner SUPER CAT | Cherryville, Pennsylvania, United States | Kerry John Sterner | No injuries | - |
| 8 Sep 1993 | Cessna 402B | Eau Claire, Pennsylvania, United States | Freight Runners Express Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 1 May 1993 | McMillin FISHER 404 | Wampum, Pennsylvania, United States | James McMillin | No injuries | - |