Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain crash, Jul 25, 1980 (3 killed)
Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain accident on July 25, 1980 near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States with 3 fatalities. Cause: Loss of control...
- Date: July 25, 1980
- Aircraft: Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Fatalities: 3
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: Loss of control after an encounter with wake turbulence from the preceding aircraft at an altitude too low for recovery, combined with the pilot's failure to follow separation and flight path selection procedures for wake turbulence avoidance (NTSB findings as summarized by ASN).
Air Pennsylvania Flight 501, a scheduled commuter flight from Reading, Pennsylvania, crashed while on a visual approach to runway 27R at Philadelphia International Airport at 0713 LT on 25 July 1980. The Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain (N5MS) was sequenced behind a Boeing 727 and rolled, pitched up and rolled inverted before striking the ground nose first about half a mile from the runway. All three occupants, two crew and one passenger, were killed and the aircraft was destroyed.