# Accident 19950925030009A: Piper PA28161, Poseyville, IN, September 25, 1995

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 25, 1995, 19:45 local time
- Place: Poseyville, IN
- Airport: Poseyville Employment Leasing
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.1703° N, 87.7793° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.1703&lon=-87.7793&mi=10
- Aircraft: N39999, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N39999-1996-07-22) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-161 (registry code 7102803, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28161
- Reported engine: LYC O320D3G
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI95LA331](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI95LA331) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19950925030009A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ATTEMPTED NIGHT TAKEOFF FROM UNLIGHTED RUNWAY. WING STRUCK HAY BALE IN ADJACENT FIELD. AUTO LIGHTS WRONG POSITION. (-23) THE PILOT WAS DEPARTING POSEYVILLE EMPLOYMENT AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 1945 ON SUNDAY EVENING (09/24/95). HE WAS USING RUNWAY 22. HE TOLD HIS FATHER TO DRIVE TO THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND TO TURN THE VEHICLE AROUND SO THE HEAD LIGHTS POINTED DOWN THE RUNWAY TOWARD THE AIRCRAFT. HE WOULD THEN USE THE HEAD LIGHTS TO STAY ALIGNED ON THE RUNWAY DURING TAKEOFF. HIS FATHER DROVE TO THE OPPOSITE END OF A DIFFERENT RUNWAY, RUNWAY 18. HE TURNED THE VEHICLE AROUND AND POINTED THE HEAD LIGHTS TOWARD THE AIRCRAFT. ON THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE AIRCRAFT EXITED THE RUNWAY IN AN ATTEMPT TO HEAD TOWARD THE VEHICLE LIGHTS. THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A CORN FIELD AND HIT A LARGE HAY BALE WITH THE RIGHT WING. THE WING WAS TORN FROM THE AIRCRAFT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI95LA331](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI95LA331), Sep 26, 1995: Piper PA-28 (N39999), Poseyville, IN, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's poor judgement in making a night takeoff on an unlit runway and his failure to maintain proper runway alignment. Factors associated with the accident were the hay bale, the night…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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