Piper PA-23-250 accident near Spencer, Iowa, September 20, 1993
On September 20, 1993 at about 2:30 am local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N5309Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Spencer, Iowa (Spencer Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's to switch fuel tanks which resulted in fuel starvation. A factor related to the accident was the rough terrain on which the airplane was landed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1993 · about 2:30 am local time · cases in 1993
- Place
- Spencer, Iowa · Spencer Municipal · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5309Y · registry record · serial 27-2382
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FUEL IN THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS EXHAUSTED DURING AN ILS TO RUNWAY 12. A LOSS OF POWER ON THE RIGHT ENGINE RESULTED. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN IN ROUGH TERRAIN APPROXIMATELY 1,000 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT STATED HE FAILED TO SWITCH FUEL TANKS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,880 hours in all; 710 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31,073 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1D5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDC Prarie du Chien WI at 1:00 am
- Destination: SPW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from 3SE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5309Y on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-23 Apache and Aztec 1,315 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1D5 18 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Spencer Municipal · nearest airport
- Prairie DU Chien Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Iowa 871 since 1982 · 131 in the last ten years
- Iowa 4,513 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI93LA375.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.