Piper PA-24-180 accident near Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, August 3, 2004
On August 3, 2004 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-180, registered N6311P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania (Mid-State Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of partial engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2004 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania · Mid-State Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180 · all PA-24-180s on the register
- Registration
- N6311P · no longer on the register · serial 24-1421
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After completing the warm-up and ground checks, the airplane departed from a 5,711-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt runway. During the initial climb, about 400 feet above the ground, the engine lost partial power, and the airplane began to descend. Suspecting that carburetor icing was present, the pilot applied carburetor heat. A few seconds later, the airplane impacted the ground, coming to rest about 1/4-mile from the end of the runway. The pilot additionally stated that he had experienced a similar problem with the engine losing partial power a few flights prior to the accident; however, it was an isolated event, and he attributed it to possibly being carburetor icing. The engine was test ran by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector after the accident, with no abnormalities noted.
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: 120 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2004; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PSB Phillipsburg PA at 10:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,711 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from PSB
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.
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.