1991 Merion mid-air collision
NTSB diagram of the collision | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 4, 1991 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision due to pilot error on both aircraft |
| Site | Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania 40°00′06″N 75°15′24″W / 40.0017°N 75.2568°W |
| Total fatalities | 7 |
| Total injuries | 5 |
| Total survivors | 0 |
| First aircraft | |
| A Piper Aerostar similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Type | Piper Aerostar |
| Registration | N3645D |
| Flight origin | Williamsport Regional Airport |
| Destination | Philadelphia International Airport |
| Occupants | 3 |
| Passengers | 1 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
| A Bell 412EP similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Type | Bell 412 |
| Registration | N78S |
| Occupants | 2 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 2 |
| Ground injuries | 5 |
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 west 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. On the ground, two schoolchildren were killed by falling debris and five people were injured.
An investigation determined the accident was caused by poor crew judgment and pilot error in both aircraft.