Piper PA-22-150 accident near Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, March 17, 1991
On March 17, 1991 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N4510A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania. 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
CARBURETOR ICE AND THE PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF CARBURETOR HEAT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE CARBURETOR ICING (WEATHER) CONDITIONS AND THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 1991 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4510A · registry record · serial 22-3815
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF, THE AIRPLANE HAD REACHED ABOUT 125 FT ABOVE THE RUNWAY, WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED TO LOSE POWER. THE PILOT SAID, '. . . THE ENGINE STARTED TO LOSE R.P.M. . . . IT DROPPED TO . . . 1500 R.P.M.'S . . . I ESTABLISHED A GLIDE WHILE APPLYING CARBURETOR HEAT . . . THE AIRPLANE THEN STARTED SINKING FASTER . . . I THEN APPLIED FLAPS, CLOSED THE THROTTLE, DID A FULL STALL, LANDING INTO THE TOPS OF THE TREES.' THE PILOT ALSO SAID, 'CARB ICING CONDITIONS PRESENT, MELTING SNOW ON GROUND, 45 DEGREE F.' A POST-ACCIDENT ENGINE RUN-UP WAS MADE, BUT NO DISCREPANCY WAS FOUND.
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
- Flight time: 694 hours in all; 644 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 694 as pilot in command
- 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: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1P54 Osceola PA at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- 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.