Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, June 26, 2006
On June 26, 2006 at about 7:02 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N56246, was destroyed in an accident near Philipsburg, Pennsylvania (Mid-State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to comply with the published instrument approach procedure, which resulted in controlled flight into trees. Factors in the accident were the low cloud ceiling, and dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 2006 · about 7:02 am local time
- Place
- Philipsburg, Pennsylvania · Mid-State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N56246 · no longer on the register · serial 28R 73-35390
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was cleared for the full instrument landing system (ILS) runway 16 approach. After crossing the locator outer marker (LOM), the airplane turned outbound, executed a course reversal, and then proceeded inbound in the general direction of the LOM, but never became established during the procedure turn. The airplane passed abeam the LOM about 1/2 mile to the northeast, and then conducted one "S" turn in about a mile, crossing over the final approach course twice before radar contact was lost. The last recorded target was at an altitude of 2,700 feet, and located about 1/2 mile west of the approach end of the runway. The airplane impacted trees about 228 feet below the decision altitude of 2,325 feet, and came to rest in a wooded area on a heading of 160 degrees. Examination of the wreckage revealed the NAV 1 radio was tuned to the localizer frequency, but the automatic direction finder was not tuned to the LOM. In addition, no preimpact failures or malfunctions were identified with either the airframe or engine. The pilot had approximately 625 total hours of flight experience, of which 45 hours were under simulated instrument conditions, and 107 hours were under actual instrument conditions. At the time of the accident, the airplane had been aloft approximately 4 hours 19 minutes, had about 41 minutes of fuel remaining, and it was unlikely the pilot would have been able to reach his filed alternate airport approximately 100 nautical miles away. The pilot was advised, 1 hour before the flight, of decreasing ceilings to 400 feet with 2 miles. Interpolation of weather data revealed that the weather at the arrival airport was about 200 feet overcast with 2.5 miles of visibility in light rain.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 626 hours in all; 43 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 585 as pilot in command; 95 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2006; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M91 Springfield TN at 2:43 am
- Destination: PSB Philipsburg PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 5,711 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 6:43 am from SCE, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.