Piper PA-23-150 accident near Silver Spring, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1996
On January 1, 1996 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-150, registered N1082P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Silver Spring, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 1996 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Silver Spring, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-150 · all PA-23-150s on the register
- Registration
- N1082P · registry record · serial 23-92
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot rented a multiengine airplane to fly 70 hours during a 3 week period. The pilot and passenger departed, flew a 4.4 hour flight, and refueled with 73 gallons of fuel. The pilot then flew 2 legs that totaled 3.5 hours, and refueled the airplane with 68.9 gallons. Two days later the pilot departed on another leg that lasted 2 hours. After a brief stop, and no refueling, the pilot departed on the accident leg. About 1.5 hours after takeoff, during night IMC, the right engine lost power, followed by the left engine. The pilot received radar vectors to an airport during the emergency descent and did not feather either propeller. The airplane descended clear of the clouds and landed in an open field, 6 miles short of the airport. Examination of the wreckage revealed 3 quarts of fuel in the right wing tanks, and 1 quart of fuel in the left wing tanks. No fuel stains were noted on the fuselage, wings, or ground. The capacity of the airplane's main and auxiliary fuel tanks were measured and verified during the investigation. The engines were removed, test run, and ran normally. The fuel burn during the tests were consistent with the manual. Based upon the average fuel consumption of the previous legs, about 39 gallons of fuel were unaccounted for at the accident scene.
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 land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 440 hours in all; 33 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,070 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 29, 1995; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: POU Poughkeepsie NY at 9:21 pm
- Destination: LYH Lynchburg VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1.8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from LPN, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.