Piper PA-24-180 accident near Muncie Valley, Pennsylvania, August 9, 1991
On August 9, 1991 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-180, registered N5007P, was destroyed in an accident near Muncie Valley, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S ATTEMPT TO MAINTAIN VISUAL FLIGHT INTO KNOWN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, RESULTING IN A COLLISION WITH TREES. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN A PRE-FLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE MINIMUM EN ROUTE ALTITUDE ON HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1991 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Muncie Valley, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180 · all PA-24-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5007P · registry record · serial 24-10
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THERE WAS NO RECORD OF THE PILOT RECEIVING A WEATHER BRIEFING. HE DEPARTED VFR DURING ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. HE FLEW A VOR AIRWAY AT AN ALTITUDE 2000 FEET BELOW THE PUBLISHED MINIMUM EN ROUTE ALTITUDE FOR THAT ROUTE. THE PILOT HAD AN INSTRUMENT RATING, BUT HE HAD A TOTAL ACTUAL INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TIME OF 10 HOURS AND 6 APPROACHES. HE DID NOT FILE AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN. THE WEATHER ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT WAS REPORTED BY WITNESSES AND REPORTING FACILITIES AS LOW CEILINGS, RESTRICTED VISIBILITY AND RAIN.
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
- Flight time: 681 hours in all; 450 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AVP Wilkes-Barre PA at 3:39 pm
- Destination: FWA Fort Wayne IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,300 ft
- 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.