Piper PA-22 accident near Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1987
On February 22, 1987 at about 2:30 am local time, a Piper PA-22, registered N3045Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania (Sky Haven 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
- February 22, 1987 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania · Sky Haven · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22 · all PA-22s on the register
- Registration
- N3045Z · registry record · serial 22-6999
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS LNDG ON A GRASS RWY WITH AN ACCESS ROAD BORDERING THE APCH END. ACROSS THE ROAD FROM THE RWY THRESHOLD, THERE WAS A PILE OF SNOW WHICH PREVIOUSLY HAD BEEN PLOWED FROM THE RWY. IN REFERENCE TO LNDG AT NGT, THE PLT STATED, 'COMING IN ON FINAL, I NOTICED A SLIGHT GROUND FOG, BUT WHEN I SAW RUNWAY, THOUGHT I HAD BANK CLEARED.' HOWEVER, BEFOREREACHING THE RWY, THE ACFT STRUCK THE SNOWBANK. DURING THE OCCURRENCE, THE NOSE GEAR, PROP, LOWER FWD PART OF THE ACFT & LEFT WING TIP WERE DMGD.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,840 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,900 ft by 254 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; 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.