Piper PA-28-180 accident near Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, January 2, 1993
On January 2, 1993 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N15141, was substantially damaged in an accident near Philipsburg, Pennsylvania (Mid State airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INADEQUATE REMOVAL OF SNOW FROM THE RUNWAYS BY AIRPORT PERSONNEL AND THE PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES FOR AIRPORT SNOW REMOVAL NOT UNDERSTOOD.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 2, 1993 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Philipsburg, Pennsylvania · Mid State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N15141 · registry record · serial 28-7305027
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A TOUCH AND GO AT MID STATE AIRPORT, UPON TOUCH DOWN AND LOWERING OF THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE ON RUNWAY 24, THE STUDENT PILOT AND CFI NOTICED A SNOW BANK ACROSS THE RUNWAY AT THE INTERSECTION OF RUNWAY 16/34. THE CFI INSTRUCTED THE STUDENT TO TAKEOFF IMMEDIATELY. THE STUDENT APPLIED FULL TAKEOFF POWER, AND JUST AFTER LIFT OFF THEY HEARD A 'THUMP'. THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT MAIN GEAR IMPACTED THE SNOW BANK AND WAS TORN AWAY FROM THE AIRPLANE CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND LEFT WING AND FLAP. THE STUDENT AND CFI CONTINUED THE TAKEOFF AND RETURNED TO THEIR BASE AIRPORT WHERE A FLY BY WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND A DAMAGE ASSESSMENT WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY GROUND PERSONNEL. THE CFI MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING AND THE AIRPLANE OCCUPANTS EXITED THE AIRPLANE WITH NO REPORTED INJURIES. THE CFI STATED THAT THEY DID FLY OVER MID STATE AIRPORT PRIOR TO LANDING AND THAT THEY DID NOT SEE ANYTHING ON THE RUNWAY. THE MANAGER OF MID STATE AIRPORT REPORTED THAT THE PERSON WHO SNOW PLOWED RUNWAY 16/34 WAS NEW TO THE AIRPORT AND WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE OTHER RUNWAY WAS IN USE, HENCE, DID NOT REMOVE THE PLOWED SNOW FROM THE INTERSECTING RUNWAY. THERE WERE NO NOTICES TO AIRMEN PUBLISHED CONCERNING A CLOSURE OF RUNWAY 24.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 778 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 616 as pilot in command; 121 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,880 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 1992; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: N96 Bellefonte PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 5,006 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from UNV, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO93LA017.