Piper PA-32-260 N3868W

Summary

On 23 August 1996 at about 01:15 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N3868W was involved in an accident near Coatsville, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 August 1996 at 01:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Coatsville, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Chester County (40N)

Coordinates

39.9799, -75.8107

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N3868W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

York → West Chester

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

NYC96LA171

1 person had minor injuries.

loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s). Factors relating to the accident were: darkness, and the lack of suitable landing areas.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was in a descent from 5,000 feet to 3,000 feet when the engine lost power. He tried to switch tanks, but he was mainly concentrating on maintaining sight with a nearby airport. The airplane landed 400 yards short of the runway in trees. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks had been ruptured and empty, and that nearby foliage was turning brown and dying. Examination of the engine failed to reveal a reason why the engine could not develop power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.