Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Butler County Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Butler,, Pennsylvania 16033
Sunday, November 28, 1993 16:10 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PRIVATE PILOT, WITH TWO HOURS OF ACTUAL INSTRUMENT TIME ACCORDING TO HIS LOG BOOK, HAD DEPARTED UNDER VFR CONDITIONS. UPON HIS RETURN TO HIS DESTINATION, HE ENCOUNTERED INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC). THERE WERE SEVERAL WITNESSES WHO HEARD THE AIRPLANE OVERFLY THEIR HOMES AT A LOW ALTITUDE. SOME OF THE WITNESSES STATED THAT IT WAS SNOWING HEAVILY, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO SEE THE AIRPLANE DUE TO THE LOW VISIBILITY. THE PILOT CONTACTED PITTSBURGH APPROACH CONTROL AND WAS RECEIVING VECTORS FOR THE ILS RUNWAY 8 APPROACH WHEN RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. RADAR DATA OBTAINED FROM THE AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER SHOWED THE AIRPLANE MAKING SEVERAL CIRCLES. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A 50 FOOT TALL TREE BEFORE COLLIDING WITH A RESIDENTIAL HOUSE AND WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE A FACTOR.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 11/28/1993 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1610 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | BUTLER, |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 16033 |
| Event Date Year | 1993 |
| Event Date Month | 11 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | BUTLER COUNTY |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | BTP |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 5 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 100 |
| Airport Elevation | 1248 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1619 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | BTP |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1248 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 500 |
| 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) | 250 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 8 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 17 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Heavy |
| 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 | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1937 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Nov 28 1993 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1725 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 1:45PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N707JS |
| NTSB Number | BFO94FA021 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | Ground |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA32R-301 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA32R-301 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 32R-8513014 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3600 |
| 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 | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 12 1993 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 1100 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ARMSTRONG TELEPHONE CO. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 122 S. QUEEN STREET |
| Aircraft Owner City | RISING SUN |
| Aircraft Owner State | MD |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 21911 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | ARMSTRONG TELEPHONE CO. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 122 S. QUEEN STREET |
| Operator City | RISING SUN |
| Operator State | MD |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 21911 |
| 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) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| 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 | 8 |
| Runway Length | 4005 |
| Runway Width | 100 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |