Piper PA-32-300 accident near Ligonier, Pennsylvania, January 15, 1993
On January 15, 1993 at about 1:33 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N28196, was destroyed in an accident near Ligonier, Pennsylvania. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 1993 · about 1:33 pm local time
- Place
- Ligonier, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N28196 · no longer on the register · serial 32-7940116
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 194 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 136 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,893 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1992; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 37PA Smoketown PA at 12:27 pm
- Destination: LBE Latrobe PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 pm from JST, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.