Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Pottstown-Limerick Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Limerick, Pennsylvania 19468
Friday, March 18, 1994 11:26 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
AT 0815 EDT, N36444 LANDED WITH LIGHT SNOW FALLING & THE TEMPERATURE ABOVE FREEZING. SNOW CONTINUED FALLING & THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED BELOW FREEZING. AT ABOUT 1100, THE PILOT FILED AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN & HAD A LINEMAN BRUSH SNOW FROM THE WINGS. THE LINEMAN NOTED THAT PATCHES OF ICE REMAINED ON THE LEFT WING, BUT THE PILOT DECLINED TO DEICE THE PLANE. (AT AN AIRPORT 3 MILES AWAY, ANOTHER FLIGHT WAS DELAYED DUE TO ICE THAT HAD FORMED BELOW A SNOW COVER ON A PLANE THAT SAT OUTSIDE FROM 0945 TO 1100.) THE SURVIVING PASSENGER SAID THAT AFTER TAKEOFF, N36444 LOST LIFT & YAWED LEFT. IT APPEARED TO RECOVER, THEN VIBRATED, YAWED, BANKED LEFT, DESCENDED, & IMPACTED THE GROUND. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE ENGINES WERE TEST RUN WITH NO NOTABLE DEFICIENCIES. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE PILOT WAS TAKING PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION. TESTS OF HIS BLOOD SHOWED 0.157 UG/ML OF DIAZEPAM & 0.134 UG/ML OF NORDIAZEPAM. TESTS OF HIS URINE SHOWED 0.152 UG/ML OF NORDIAZEPAM & 0.167 UG/ML OF OXAZEPAM. ON 3/2/90, THE PILOT HAD SURGERY FOR A TUMOR OF (OR NEAR) THE LEFT OPTIC NERVE. IN HIS LAST FAA MEDICAL APPLICATION, HE DENIED THAT HE HAD MEDICAL TREATMENT IN THE PREVIOUS 5 YEARS & DID NOT REPORT USE OF ANY MEDICATIONS. THE AVIATION MEDICAL EXAMINER HAD PRESCRIBED RESERPINE (FOR HYPERTENSION) & WAS AWARE OF THE SURGERY, BUT THIS WAS NOT REPORTED IN THE PILOT'S FAA MEDICAL RECORD.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ENSURE THAT ICE WAS PROPERLY REMOVED FROM THE AIRPLANE BEFORE FLIGHT, POSSIBLY DUE TO IMPAIRMENT OF JUDGMENT CAUSED BY A PRESCRIPTION DRUG (VALIUM) THAT WAS NOT APPROVED FOR USE WHILE FLYING. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY REPORT HIS MEDICAL HISTORY ON HIS FAA MEDICAL APPLICATION, AND FAILURE OF THE DESIGNATED MEDICAL EXAMINER TO REPORT THE PILOT'S KNOWN MEDICAL HISTORY.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/18/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1126 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | LIMERICK |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 19468 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | POTTSTOWN-LIMERICK |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | PTW |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 250 |
| Airport Elevation | 309 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Partial - limited by pilot |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1100 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 105 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | NXX |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 362 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 20 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0.5 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -1 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -2 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 190 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 489 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 18 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1210 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 10:51AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N36444 |
| NTSB Number | NYC94FA065 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | AEROSTAR 601P |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | AEROSTAR 6 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | P08438163444 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 6000 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 28 1993 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 257 |
| Airframe Hours | 4356 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | K & L MICROWAVE INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 408 COLES CIRCLE |
| Aircraft Owner City | SALISBURY |
| Aircraft Owner State | MD |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 21801 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Executive/Corporate |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | PTW |
| Departure City | POTTSTOWN |
| Departure State | PA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1120 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | SBY |
| Destination City | SALISBURY |
| Destination State | MD |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 28 |
| Runway Length | 3371 |
| Runway Width | 75 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |