Piper PA-38-112 accident near Enon Valley, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1988
On June 7, 1988 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2317N, was destroyed in an accident near Enon Valley, Pennsylvania. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- June 7, 1988 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Enon Valley, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2317N · no longer on the register · serial 3879A0785
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED MANEUVERING AT LOW ALTITUDE. THE NOSE WAS OBSERVED TO DROP AND A LEFT ROTATION STARTED. ONE WITNESS SAID THE ROTATION STOPPED BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARED BEHIND A TREE LINE. THE AIRCRAFT CAUGHT FIRE WITHIN ONE MINUTE OF IMPACT AND BURNED. THE PRIVATE PILOT WORKING ON COMMERCIAL MANEUVERS AND THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE COCKPIT AREA WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE. NO PRE-EXISTING PROBLEMS WERE FOUND WITH THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME. COMPANY POLICY WAS TO TERMINATE ALL MANEUVERS AT 500 FT AGL. THE AIRCRAFT WAS MANEUVERING AT STEEP ANGLES OF BANK AND BELOW 500 FT AGL.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,105 hours in all; 284 in this make and model; 381 in the last 90 days; 159 in the last 30 days; 963 as pilot in command; 699 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,771 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 3, 1988; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Beaver Aviation Services INC.
The flight
- Departed from: G01 Beaver Falls PA at 3:53 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from G01, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N2317N the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.