Piper PA-34-220T accident near Tafton, Pennsylvania, June 25, 2006
On June 25, 2006 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-220T, registered N8371X, was destroyed in an accident near Tafton, Pennsylvania (None airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent encounter with a thunderstorm, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control, and a subsequent in-flight breakup.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2006 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Tafton, Pennsylvania · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-220T · all PA-34-220Ts on the register
- Registration
- N8371X · no longer on the register · serial 34-8133063
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About an hour before takeoff, the pilot obtained an updated weather briefing, which included a discussion about thunderstorm activity along the route of the flight. About 2 hours 30 minutes after takeoff, the pilot was deviating around thunderstorm activity when the airplane disappeared from radar. A witness near the accident heard the engine "revving up and down," a "muffled pop," and then silence, before seeing debris falling from the sky, well above the tree line. Examination of the airplane revealed that it experienced an in-flight breakup; however, no evidence of a mechanical malfunction was identified. Weather radar images indicated the airplane entered a developing area of moderate to heavy intensity echoes consistent with a convective cell or thunderstorm. The pilot advised air traffic control he was receiving weather information through a portable GPS receiver, with a weather subscription service. There were no published Convective SIGMETs (significant meteorological information), SIGMETs, or Center Weather Advisories for thunderstorms, current at the time of the accident for the area encompassing the accident site. The pilot received his airplane multiengine rating, on May 13, 2006, as of as of June 18, 2006, the pilot had accumulated about 1,720 hours of total flight experience, which included 32.6 hours in multiengine airplanes; of which 26.8 hours were accumulated in the accident airplane. In addition, the pilot had logged about 140 and 68 hours of actual and simulated instrument flight experience; respectively. Except for 0.4 hours of simulated instrument flight experience logged during his multiengine rating check ride; the pilot had not logged any additional instrument flight experience in multiengine airplanes.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,718 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 1,606 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,969 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,750 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Teledyne Continental TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Teledyne Continental LTSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GSO Greensboro NC at 2:23 pm
- Destination: SFM Sanford ME
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from MPO, 21 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.
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.