Piper PA-28 accident near Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, December 5, 1985
On December 5, 1985 at about 8:14 pm local time, a Piper PA-28, registered N652FL, was destroyed in an accident near Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 5, 1985 · about 8:14 pm local time
- Place
- Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28 · all PA-28s on the register
- Registration
- N652FL · no longer on the register · serial 28-7125565
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AFCT WAS SEEN FLYING AT LOW ALT BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH UNMARKED TRANSMISSION LINES AT A HEIGHT OF 170 FT AGL. THE ACFT PITCHED UP AND THEN DESCENDED TO THE GROUND. THE TOP OF THE RUDDER AND VERTICAL STABILATOR WERE SEVERED FROM THE ACFT. THE COLLISION OCCURRED ABOUT 500 FT FROM THE PLT'S HOME. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF ANY MALFUNCTION.
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: 119 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 55 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,207 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 1985; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CXY Harrisburg PA at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from IPT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.