Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Hickory, Pennsylvania 15340
Tuesady, April 1, 1997 14:52 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot of the unpressurized airplane was cleared to climb to 25,000 feet by air traffic control (ATC) and he was observed going through the assigned altitude and leveling at 27,700 feet. Then the aircraft was observed at 26,000 feet, and subsequent contact was lost. The pilot did not respond when ATC queried him about exceeding his assigned altitude. The aircraft sustained an inflight breakup during an uncontrolled descent, and came to rest in a tree. According to the surviving passenger, the airplane was refueled and a portable oxygen bottle was filled prior to takeoff. She stated that they were going to take aerial photographs at four separate locations during this flight. She said that they shot three of the locations and landed at Williamsburg, Pennsylvania where the pilot filed a flight plan and setup the portable oxygen system for their use during the next flight. They departed and climbed to 10,000 feet, and the pilot told her to put her oxygen mask on, and he did the same. The last altitude she remembered the pilot calling out was 20,000 feet, and he asked her how she was doing and if she felt okay and she said yes. When asked, 'who turned on the oxygen?' she stated that she did, started to but wasn't sure how, so, the pilot reached back and turned it on. She said she knew it was on because she could feel the cool air and that there was a little valve in both lines and they went from red to green indicating the oxygen was flowing. She said that she remembered him saying that they had just crossed 20,000 feet and she began feeling dizzy, she said that her eyes would not focus, and that she felt like she was cross eyed. She said she told the pilot that she was dizzy but she thought that he was talking to the tower because he did not respond. She recalled that she felt better when she closed her eyes, when she did, that was the last thing she clearly remembered until after the crash. Analytical testing of the contents of each cylinder used to fill the pilot's oxygen bottle found that they contained compressed breathing air at about 21 percent oxygen instead of aviation oxygen. Postmortem examination revealed the pilot's death was a result of hypoxic hypoxia due to insufficient oxygen reaching the blood.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Servicing of the pilots portable oxygen system with compressed air, which resulted in pilot incapacitation due to Hypoxia.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/1/1997 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1452 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | HICKORY |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 15340 |
| Event Date Year | 1997 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1451 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 90 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | PIT |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1204 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 65 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 11 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 350 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 13 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 23 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| 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 | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1545 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 1 1997 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1530 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 8 2000 12:13PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N2685S |
| NTSB Number | IAD97FA060 |
| 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 | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 337D |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 337D |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 337-0985 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 4500 |
| 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 | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Oct 18 1996 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | FLIGHT SERVICES, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 236 EAST WASHINGTON ST |
| Aircraft Owner City | LISBON |
| Aircraft Owner State | OH |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 44432 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | FLIGHT SERVICES, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 236 EAST WASHINGTON ST. |
| Operator City | LISBON |
| Operator State | OH |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 44432 |
| 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) | Business |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | WAY |
| Departure City | WAYNESBURG |
| Departure State | PA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1345 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | 4G4 |
| Destination City | NORTH LIMA |
| Destination State | OH |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Climb |
| 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 | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |