Piper PA-32-300 N6373C

Summary

On 8 August 2003 at about 11:49 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N6373C was involved in an accident near Factoryville, 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.

Date

8 August 2003 at 11:49

Classification

Accident

Location

Factoryville, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Seaman's Airport (9N3)

Coordinates

41.5911, -75.7511

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N6373C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pottstown → Factoryville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD03FA070

2 people died.

The pilot's improper in-flight decision to descend below the published minimum descent altitude while executing a non-precision approach in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in collision with trees. A factor was the fog.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The instrument rated pilot was cleared by air traffic control to execute the published VOR instrument approach procedure into his destination airport. Witnesses stated that the weather was foggy with forward visibility ranging from 0 to 100 feet. The witnesses heard the airplane fly over the airport with a low engine rpm, followed by an increase in rpm and the sound of trees breaking. The airplane came to rest about 100 yards northwest of runway 4/22 in heavily wooded terrain. The published inbound course for the VOR approach was 309 degrees, and the minimum descent altitude (MDA) utilizing Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania's, altimeter setting was 1,860 feet msl. The published weather minimums included a 600-foot ceiling and a 1-mile visibility. A hand held global position system (GPS) receiver was located near the main wreckage. Information downloaded from the receiver revealed that the entire flight was recorded. The GPS began recording at 0716:31 and ended at 0749:44. A review of the last 1 minute and 3 seconds of recorded data revealed that the airplane was headed 299 degrees, then initiated a turn to a heading of 017 degrees as it flew over the runway. While descending from an altitude of 2,000 feet to 1,268 feet mean sea level, before the data ended. Two instrument approach plates (one was Jeppesen and the other N.O.S) for the VOR or GPS-A instrument approach were found in the airplane wreckage. On the backside of the Jeppensen approach plate was an airport diagram of the airport. A review of the diagram revealed the trees located along the northwestern boundary of the airport were at an elevation of 1,287 feet. The published airport elevation was 1,209 feet msl.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.