1978 Piper Arrow Collision at Sanetsch Pass (HB-PBN)

Accident Overview and Aircraft Details On September 23, 1978, a Piper PA-28R-201 (Arrow) with the registration HB-PBN was destroyed in a collision with terrain at the Sanetsch Pass in the Swiss canton of Valais. The aircraft, operated privately by the AéCS, section des Montagnes neuchâteloises, was flying a visual flight rules (VFR) mission from Sion back to La Chaux-de-Fonds. The pilot, a Swiss national born in 1936, held a private pilot license and had a total flight time of 171 hours and 10 minutes. The aircraft was equipped with flaps, a variable-pitch propeller, and automatic retractable landing gear. The investigation found no technical defects that influenced the accident, though the aircraft had not had its 100-hour inspection recorded between August 22, 1978, and the date of the crash.