Eiriavion Oy PIK-20E accident near Erwinna, Pennsylvania, October 5, 1986
On October 5, 1986 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Eiriavion Oy PIK-20E (glider), registered N12ZC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Erwinna, Pennsylvania (Vansant airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1986 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Erwinna, Pennsylvania · Vansant · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eiriavion Oy PIK-20E · all PIK-20Es on the register
- Registration
- N12ZC · registry record · serial 20234
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE ON DESCENT BELOW TREE TOP LEVEL AND WHEN ABOUT 150 FEET FROM THE THRESHOLD A DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO COLLIDE WITH THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT GROUNDLOOPED WHEN THE LEFT WING CAUGHT IN THE TALL GRASS.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,525 hours in all; 113 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 1,277 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 214 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 1986; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 501 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,000 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.