Fairchild PT-19 accident near Butler, Pennsylvania, April 18, 1982
On April 18, 1982 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Fairchild PT-19, registered N49942, was substantially damaged in an accident near Butler, Pennsylvania (Butler CO. airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1982 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Butler, Pennsylvania · Butler CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild PT-19 · all PT-19s on the register
- Registration
- N49942 · no longer on the register · serial F42 1523
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT WAS FLYING WITH THE OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT TO HELP HIM GET ACQUAINTED WITH HIS PLANE. WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH, THE OWNER LET THE AIRCRAFT GET LOW. HE CORRECTED BY ADDING POWER, BUT REPORTEDLY RAISED THE NOSE BEYOND THE STALL ANGLE. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED, AND DURING RECOVER, IT CONTACTED THE GROUND WITH ENOUGH FORCE TO DAMAGE THE PLANE. THE INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THE WIND WAS GUSTING TO 25 KNOTS.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,857 hours in all; 103 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 6,676 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 986 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ranger 6-440-C2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Butler PA at 5:30 pm
- Destination: Butler PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC82DA073.