Piper PA-28-R200 accident near Forks Township, Pennsylvania, May 1, 1996
On May 1, 1996 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-R200, registered N5030S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Forks Township, Pennsylvania (Easton airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's misjudgment of distance and altitude, and delay in performing remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 1996 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Forks Township, Pennsylvania · Easton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-R200 · all PA-28-R200s on the register
- Registration
- N5030S · registry record · serial 28R20035776
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor (CFI) and the private pilot, her husband, had flown a previous flight that day and practiced maneuvers at altitude. After a refueling stop, they departed for another training flight. The private pilot performed two practice power off landings from the downwind to runway 18. During a third practice forced landing, with the landing gear extended, the CFI took over the controls. When the airplane developed a high sink rate during the turn to final, the CFI realized that the airplane was low and slow. The CFI stated that she advanced the throttle, but the engine did not respond. The airplane's right wing struck a 25-foot-high pole at the edge of an open field, about 12 feet above the ground and 900 feet from the approach end on the runway. The private pilot stated that during the approach he thought that they were getting 'too slow and too low,' and when full power was applied the engine response 'sounded strange.' Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact failure of the airframe or engine.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,282 hours in all; 956 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,066 as pilot in command; 171 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,627 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1996; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N43 at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,953 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from ABE, 11 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.
Other NTSB records under N5030S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.