Amateur-built PT17 accident near Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, June 25, 1999
On June 25, 1999 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built PT17, registered N61467, was destroyed in an accident near Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper inflight decision to fly at an inadequate altitude and his improper visual lookout which resulted in a collision with wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 1999 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lock Haven, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PT17
- Registration
- N61467 · registry record · serial 75-1362
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that while in cruise flight, above a river, the airplane 'apparently struck an unseen object and departed controlled flight.' He thought the object was an unmarked cable that ran across the river. He had noticed these cables on previous flights because they were usually marked with orange balls. The pilot stated there were no mechanical deficiencies that may have led to the accident. A witness observed the aircraft pitch up, roll hard to the left, impact the ground 'straight up and down', and catch fire. An FAA Inspector reported there were telephone wires 50-150 feet high across the river.
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, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,600 hours in all; 370 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,640 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 1999; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LHV PA at 1:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 12,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from UNV, 26 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.
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.