Howard Aircraft DGA 15P accident near Monongahela, Pennsylvania, April 12, 2017
On April 12, 2017 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 1939 Howard Aircraft DGA 15P, registered N4476N, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Monongahela, Pennsylvania (Rostraver Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during an attempted go-around in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 2017 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Monongahela, Pennsylvania · Rostraver Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Howard Aircraft DGA 15P NO SERIES, built 1939 · all DGA 15Ps on the register
- Registration
- N4476N · no longer on the register · serial 710
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the airplane touch down left of the runway centerline in gusting crosswind conditions and then attempt to go-around. As the engine noise increased, the airplane yawed 90° left and banked left, perpendicular to the runway. The airplane's nose pitched up, and the airplane subsequently entered an aerodynamic stall and rolled inverted before impacting a ravine about 400 ft left of the runway. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was equipped with a 450-hp radial engine. It is likely that, upon application of engine power to initiate the go-around, the pilot failed to adequately compensate for the extreme left-turning tendencies of the high-powered engine, which resulted in a subsequent loss of control and aerodynamic stall.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR go-around)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,109 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,184 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 23, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 4,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985 (piston); 1,483 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: AGC Pittsburgh PA at 5:05 pm
- Destination: FWQ Monongahela PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 4,002 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 6:25 pm from FWQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on August 2, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Interview Summaries | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Excerpt from Insurance Application | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpts from Maintenance Records | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Weather Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Wreckage Map | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Toxicological Report (Pilot) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.