Piper Aerostar 602P accident near Bradford, Pennsylvania, October 4, 2002
On October 4, 2002 at about 2:33 am local time, a Piper Aerostar 602P, registered N700DJ, was destroyed in an accident near Bradford, Pennsylvania (Bradford Regional Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow the published instrument approach procedure, which resulted in an early descent into trees and terrain. A factor was the night, instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 2002 · about 2:33 am local time
- Place
- Bradford, Pennsylvania · Bradford Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper Aerostar 602P · all Aerostar 602Ps on the register
- Registration
- N700DJ · registry record · serial 62P09238165047
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot attempted an ILS approach during night, instrument meteorological conditions. The inbound course was 322 degrees magnetic, and the glideslope outer marker crossing altitude was 3,333 feet msl. The decision altitude was 2,370 feet msl and the airport elevation was 2,143 feet msl. A wreckage path, about 370 feet in length, along a track 320 degrees magnetic, commenced with a tree strike about 300 feet southeast of the outer marker, at an elevation of about 2,200 feet msl. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 27 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 29, 2002; 911 hours since
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: EVV Evansville IN at 11:09 pm
- Destination: BFD Bradford PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 6,499 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 400 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from BFD, 4 miles away
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.
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 IAD03FA001.