Piper PA-23-160 accident near Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, August 28, 1987
On August 28, 1987 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-160, registered N4003P, was destroyed in an accident near Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania (Selinsgrove airport). It was a business 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 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1987 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania · Selinsgrove · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-160 · all PA-23-160s on the register
- Registration
- N4003P · no longer on the register · serial 23-1478
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING A DEMONSTRATION FLIGHT IN AN OVERWEIGHT AIRCRAFT IN CONDITIONS OF LOW CEILINGS AND FOG. AFTER A TOUCH AND GO LANDING THE AIRCRAFT STALLED DURING THE TAKEOFF THEN COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY PRE-EXISTING MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,597 hours in all; 11 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,960 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 17, 1987; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SEG Selinsgrove PA at 10:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,900 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 pm from IPT, 24 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.
Other NTSB records under N4003P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4003P: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Piper PA-23 Apache and Aztec 1,315 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 27,303 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Penn Valley Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,836 since 1982 · 234 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,194 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N4003P 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC87FA241.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.