Piper PA-31T accident near Pottstown, Pennsylvania, August 14, 1996
On August 14, 1996 at about 11:08 am local time, a Piper PA-31T, registered N163SA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pottstown, Pennsylvania (Pottstown Muni Arpt airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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 failure to maintain directional control during takeoff/ground run resulting in in-flight collision with a fence. Related factors were the pilot's poor planning/decision making, and the fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1996 · about 11:08 am local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Pottstown, Pennsylvania · Pottstown Muni Arpt · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T · all PA-31Ts on the register
- Registration
- N163SA · registry record · serial 31T-7920025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an attempted takeoff, the airplane collided with a taxiway sign, a fence, a light pole and came to rest between two buildings. According to the pilot in command (seated in the right seat), a preflight and run-up inspection was completed successfully. He stated that a pilot rated passenger (in the left front seat) was following along with a placard checklist. He stated that the airplane was accelerated for takeoff on runway 7, and at 500 feet down the 2700 foot long runway with the airspeed at redline, rotation was initiated and the airplane veered to the right. He stated that shortly thereafter the right engine surged and he noted the matched power levers, but he did not record the engine power instruments. A passenger (seated in a forward facing seat behind the pilot in command) reported that the pilot rated passenger's hand was on the throttle(yellow-knobbed handles) at the time of the accident The reported visibility was 1/8 mile in fog. The prescribed takeoff minimums for that airport is 400 feet and 1 mile visibility. Postaccident examination of the engines and their systems revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command; 15 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,993 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 27, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,050 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N47 PA at 11:00 am
- Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 2,704 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 am from RDG, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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
- N163SA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-31 Navajo and Chieftain 934 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W PT6A-28 25 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Pottstown Municipal · nearest airport
- Philadelphia International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,836 since 1982 · 234 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,195 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/IAD96LA133.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.