Piper PA-28 accident near Prospectville, Pennsylvania, August 4, 1987
On August 4, 1987 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28, registered N33791, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prospectville, Pennsylvania (Turner Field). 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
- August 4, 1987 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Prospectville, Pennsylvania · Turner Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28 · all PA-28s on the register
- Registration
- N33791 · no longer on the register · serial 287525237
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS PRACTICING TAKEOFFS & LANDINGS. HE RPRTD THAT ON THE 2ND APCH, HE APPEARED TO BE LANDING TOO LONG, SO HE INITIATED A GO-AROUND. HOWEVER, HE SAID THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A DEPARTURE STALL & SETTLED INTO SHRUBS & TREES ADJACENT TO THE RWY.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 39 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,016 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 3, 1987; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,150 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 66°F (19°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.