Piper PA-23-250 accident near Perkasie, Pennsylvania, December 18, 1997
On December 18, 1997 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N6962Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Perkasie, Pennsylvania (Pennridge airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in an off runway landing, after the left engine was reported to have lost power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 1997 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Perkasie, Pennsylvania · Pennridge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6962Y · no longer on the register · serial 27-4327
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot owner was receiving multi-engine flight instruction from a certified flight instructor. The flight instructor reported that just after liftoff, with the landing gear still extended, the left engine lost power. The airplane veered to the left. The flight instructor took control of the airplane, reduced power, and landed in rough terrain, about 150 feet to the left the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that neither propeller had been feathered, and examination of the engines did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,048 hours in all; 1,250 in this make and model; 308 in the last 90 days; 103 in the last 30 days; 8,837 as pilot in command; 6,150 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,871 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 1997; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N70 at 3:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 4,215 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.