Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain crash, Dec 25, 1978 (3 killed)
Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain accident on December 25, 1978 near Lake Placid New York, United States with 3 fatalities. Cause: Controlled flight...
- Date: December 25, 1978
- Aircraft: Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain
- Location: Lake Placid New York, United States
- Fatalities: 3
- Phase of flight: En route
- Cause: Controlled flight into terrain during a night descent in snow and limited visibility. The NTSB attributed the accident to the pilot pressing on into adverse weather, following improper IFR operation.
A Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain (N114TA) flying from Detroit-Wayne County to Saranac Lake struck treetops at 3,100 feet while descending at night in snow and crashed on Mt Nye in the Adirondack Mountains, about six miles south of Lake Placid. All three occupants were killed. Search operations were abandoned after a few days, and walkers found the wreckage on 29 April 1979.