Piper PA 22-135 N8937C

Summary

On 24 July 1999 at about 20:53 local time, a Piper PA 22-135 registered N8937C was involved in an accident near Palatine, New York, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 July 1999 at 20:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Palatine, New York, United States

Coordinates

42.9209, -74.5505

Aircraft

Piper PA 22-135

Registration

N8937C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Johnstown → Fort Plain

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC99FA181

1 person died.

The pilot was impaired by an illegal drug, and entered an inadvertent stall/spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

One witness stated that he saw the airplane fly overhead, and enter a 'sharp' left turn, followed by a left 'tailspin.' Another witness stated the airplane '...made a sharp turn and went straight down.' A third witness stated that he observed the airplane make two complete circles, described as 'loopty loop(s),' but he did not specify a direction. The witness further stated that during the third circle, the airplane was too low to recover. The owner of the airplane stated that the pilot's brother lived near the accident site. He believed she may have been circling her brother's house. The owner further stated that the airplane was not equipped with a stall warning system. Toxicological testing of the pilot was conducted at the FAA Toxicology Accident Research Laboratory. According to the toxicology report, 0.187 (ug/ml, ug/g) of cocaine was detected in the blood.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.