Piper PA-28-140 accident near Minersville, Pennsylvania, July 11, 1995
On July 11, 1995 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N15157, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minersville, Pennsylvania (Schuylkill County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's improper go-around procedure, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush into trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 1995 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Minersville, Pennsylvania · Schuylkill County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N15157 · registry record · serial 287225600
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was on her second approach during a solo flight. About 10 feet above the runway, the student applied partial power to slow the descent rate. The airplane drifted off the left side of the runway, and the student attempted to go around without increasing power. The student pulled on the control wheel and noticed the stall warning light flicker. The airplane stalled into the trees. The 70-hour student had been inactive from flying for 6 months before accruing 6.2 hours of dual flight instruction. The student was endorsed for solo flight just prior to the accident.
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: student
- Flight time: 70 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,754 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 14, 1995; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ZER at 4:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,594 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from MDT, 40 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.