Piper PA-20 accident near Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, April 12, 1998
On April 12, 1998 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-20, registered N2336A, was destroyed in an accident near Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania (Beaver County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control, and his failure to attain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall. Contributing was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the airplane, and his misjudgment of wind information which resulted in a tailwind during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 1998 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania · Beaver County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-20 · all PA-20s on the register
- Registration
- N2336A · no longer on the register · serial 20-916
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported that the airplane departed the airport towards the west, with a tailwind. The airplane 'fishtailed' down the runway, and once airborne, the airplane's wings rocked back and forth several times before it went into a nose-high attitude. The left wing dropped, the airplane made a descending turn to the south, impacted an embankment and caught fire. The engine was heard running throughout the takeoff sequence. The pilot purchased the airplane two days prior to the accident, and had the previous owner fly with him, after the purchase, to familiarize him with the airplane. The accident airplane was the first tailwheel airplane without a stick that the pilot had flown. The pilot also reported to the previous owner that most of his flight experience had been in an Ercoupe that did not have rudders and flaps. The pilot had flown 9 times in the past 11 years, and had accumulated 3.1 hours of flight experience in the accident airplane. No pre-impact malfunction with the airplane or the engine was found.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 850 hours in all; 3 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,492 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 25, 1998; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BVI at 10:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 4,501 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from PIT, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
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.