1991 Merion mid-air collision

1991 Merion mid-air collision
Accident
DateApril 4, 1991 (1991-04-04)
SummaryMid-air collision due to pilot error on both aircraft
SiteLower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
40°00′06″N 75°15′24″W / 40.0017°N 75.2568°W / 40.0017; -75.2568
Total fatalities7
Total injuries5
Total survivors0
First aircraft

A Piper Aerostar similar to the one involved in the accident
TypePiper Aerostar
RegistrationN3645D
Flight originWilliamsport Regional Airport
DestinationPhiladelphia International Airport
Occupants3
Passengers1
Crew2
Fatalities3
Survivors0
Second aircraft

A Bell 412EP similar to the one involved in the accident
TypeBell 412
RegistrationN78S
Occupants2
Crew2
Fatalities2
Survivors0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities2
Ground injuries5[1]

On April 4, 1991, a Piper Aerostar propeller-driven aircraft collided in mid-air with a Bell 412 helicopter over Merion Elementary School in Lower Merion Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, in southeast Pennsylvania.

All five people in both aircraft were killed, including United States Senator John Heinz, the sole passenger of the Piper.[2] On the ground, two schoolchildren were killed by falling debris and five people were injured.[1]

An investigation determined the accident was caused by poor crew judgment and pilot error in both aircraft.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "Aircraft Accident/Incident Summary" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. September 17, 1991 – via NTSB.gov.
  2. ^ Duncombe, Ted (April 5, 1991). "Senator, six others killed in crash". Free Lance-Star. (Fredericksburg, Virginia). Associated Press. p. 13.