Piper PA-28-140 Crash at Alexandria Airport, Pennsylvania (N95156)

Accident Overview and Flight History On December 30, 2008, at approximately 1900 Eastern Standard Time, a Piper PA-28-140, registration N95156, sustained substantial damage after striking trees and terrain while on final approach to Alexandria Airport (N85) in Pittstown, Pennsylvania. The accident occurred during a local instructional flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The pilot, who was also the aircraft's owner, suffered serious injuries, while the flight instructor was killed. No flight plan was filed for the operation, which took place under night visual meteorological conditions. The pilot reported contacting the fixed-base operator at N85 to arrange a training session aimed at obtaining an instrument rating and restoring night flying currency. After departing, the pilot and instructor flew west for about 15 minutes. Once it became legally night, they returned to the airport by executing a practice instrument approach to runway 8. The pilot then entered the left downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 26. The pilot noted that the aircraft was traveling at 100 knots and may have been approximately 100 feet below the published traffic pattern altitude. During the turn from the downwind to the base leg, the aircraft began striking trees. The pilot could not recall any subsequent events and reported no mechanical abnormalities during the flight.