Cessna P206A N4655F

Summary

On 10 February 1996 at about 01:51 local time, a Cessna P206A registered N4655F was involved in an accident near Forks Township, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 February 1996 at 01:51

Classification

Accident

Location

Forks Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Easton (N43)

Coordinates

40.6809, -75.2198

Aircraft

Cessna P206A

Registration

N4655F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pittstown → Easton

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC96FA061

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain a proper altitude, and insufficient obstruction lighting requirements established by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communications Commission.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner had flown a round-trip between his base airport and another airport during the day. He flew another round-trip that evening. During the return leg, the airplane struck the top of an unlighted 928 feet mean sea level (MSL) tower 2 miles from the destination airport. The destination airport field elevation is 399 feet MSL. The recommended pattern altitude for the airport was 1,400 feet MSL. The tower lighting was listed out of service by a NOTAM issued 15 days prior to the accident. There was no record of the pilot receiving a weather briefing or NOTAMs. No temporary repairs to restore the tower lighting had been initiated. The 928 feet MSL tower was depicted on the VFR navigation chart with the symbol for group obstructions. Another 775 feet MSL tower was positioned on the same hill, about 2,100 feet east of the 928 feet MSL tower. The top of that tower was illuminated by a single flashing red light. The FAA did not have the authority to deny or approve construction of obstructions to air navigation, or to mandate the marking and lighting of the obstructions, or the repair of lighting outages. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) did require marking and lighting of radio towers with licensed FCC transmitters. The FCC did not publish a time limit in which lighting outage had to be repaired.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.