Cessna P206A accident near Forks Township, Pennsylvania, February 10, 1996
On February 10, 1996 at about 1:51 am local time, a Cessna P206A, registered N4655F, was destroyed in an accident near Forks Township, Pennsylvania (Easton airport). 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
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper altitude, and insufficient obstruction lighting requirements established by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communications Commission.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1996 · about 1:51 am local time
- Place
- Forks Township, Pennsylvania · Easton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P206A · all P206As on the register
- Registration
- N4655F · no longer on the register · serial P2060255
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner had flown a round-trip between his base airport and another airport during the day. He flew another round-trip that evening. During the return leg, the airplane struck the top of an unlighted 928 feet mean sea level (MSL) tower 2 miles from the destination airport. The destination airport field elevation is 399 feet MSL. The recommended pattern altitude for the airport was 1,400 feet MSL. The tower lighting was listed out of service by a NOTAM issued 15 days prior to the accident. There was no record of the pilot receiving a weather briefing or NOTAMs. No temporary repairs to restore the tower lighting had been initiated. The 928 feet MSL tower was depicted on the VFR navigation chart with the symbol for group obstructions. Another 775 feet MSL tower was positioned on the same hill, about 2,100 feet east of the 928 feet MSL tower. The top of that tower was illuminated by a single flashing red light. The FAA did not have the authority to deny or approve construction of obstructions to air navigation, or to mandate the marking and lighting of the obstructions, or the repair of lighting outages. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) did require marking and lighting of radio towers with licensed FCC transmitters. The FCC did not publish a time limit in which lighting outage had to be repaired.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 24,500 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,853 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 1995; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A1O (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N40 Pittstown NJ at 1:40 am
- Destination: N43 Easton PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from ABE, 12 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.