Piper PA-28-180 accident near Renovo, Pennsylvania, October 7, 1988
On October 7, 1988 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N7293W, was destroyed in an accident near Renovo, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER VFR PROCEDURES THE PILOT'S VISUAL LOOKOUT WAS IMPROPER AND HE COLLIDED WITH A STATIC WIRE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 1988 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Renovo, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7293W · no longer on the register · serial 28-1137
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING EAST OVER THE WEST BRANCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH GROUND WIRES THAT CROSSED THE RIVER IN A NORTH-SOUTH DIRECTION. THE WIRES WERE LOCATED APRX 200 FEET ABOVE THE RIVER AND ARE DEPICTED ON SECTIONAL AND TOPOGRAPHIC CHARTS.
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: 3,100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,754 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 1988; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHV Lock Haven PA at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from IPT, 38 miles away
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.