Piper PA-28-140 accident near Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, July 16, 1986
On July 16, 1986 at about 4:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N32777, was destroyed in an accident near Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- July 16, 1986 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Lock Haven, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N32777 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7525111
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MADE A DEPARTURE FROM AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT. DURING THE CLIMB IN IMC CONDITIONS, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK TREES AND CRASHED. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE PILOT RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE PILOT HAD A CLEARANCE, HOWEVER, THE CLOUDS DID NOT PERMIT A VFR CLIMB TO ALTITUDE. THE PILOT ENTERED THE CLOUDS WITHOUT EXACT KNOWLEDGE OF HIS POSITION OR AN APPROVED DEPARTURE PROCEDURE. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN UNCONTROLLED AIRSPACE.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 862 hours in all; 735 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 766 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,235 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 26, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHV Lock Haven PA at 4:15 pm
- Destination: HZL Hazelton PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.