Piper PA-30 accident near Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, April 13, 1991
On April 13, 1991 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N8073Y, was destroyed in an accident near Hollidaysburg, 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 LOSS OF CONTROL FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 1991 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N8073Y · no longer on the register · serial 30-1187
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN INSTRUMENT CLIMB THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT HAD DEPARTED THE AIRPORT DURING LOW CEILINGS WITH LIGHT RAIN AND FOG. SEVERAL LAYERS OF CLOUDS EXISTED DURING THE CLIMB. RAIN, THUNDERSTORMS, AND TURBULENCE WITHIN THE THUNDERSTORMS HAD BEEN FORECAST. PILOT REPORTS EAST OF THE FLIGHT PATH HAD INCLUDED LIGHT ICING FROM THE SURFACE TO FIVE THOUSAND. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN CLEARED TO SIX THOUSAND. THE PILOT WAS INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT NEW YORK CENTER WITH AN ALTITUDE READOUT OF 4500 FT . THE PILOT NEVER ESTABLISHED CONTACT. CLEVELAND CENTER LOST RDAR CONTACT AT 5300 FT AT APPROXIMATELY NINE MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN AIRBORNE FOR APPROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES, CABLES, AND TERRAIN. BASED ON THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE THE AIRPLANE MAINTAINED STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY UNTIL IMPACT. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION OF THE ENGINES REVEALED NO ANOMALIES THAT WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT. THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS 1,176 FEET LONG.
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 sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 433 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming I0-320-C1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: AOO Altoona PA at 9:19 pm
- Destination: N97 Clearfield PA
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from AOO, 9 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.