# Accident 19970327046109A: Stinson 108, Greenfield, IN, March 27, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 27, 1997, 13:40 local time
- Place: Greenfield, IN
- Airport: Popefield Airport
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.7899° N, 85.7708° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.7899&lon=-85.7708&mi=10
- Aircraft: N97120, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N97120-1998-08-31) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Stinson 108 (registry code 9230402, https://openairdocs.org/model/stinson-108) (OpenAirDocs)
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI97FA093](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97FA093) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970327046109A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON MARCH 27, 1997, AT APPROXIMATELY 1340 LOCAL TIME, A STINSON 108, N97120, PILOTED BY PRIVATE PILOT RICHARD E. HOFMANN, CRASHED AT POPE FIELD (GFD), GREENFIELD, INDIANA, KILLING THE PILOT AND DESTROYING THE AIRCRAFT IN THE FIRE AFTER THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES STATED THEY OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT TAKEOFF TO THE SOUTH AND AT APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET THE ENGINE SPUTTERED AND STOPPED. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPTED A LEFT TURN WITH AN APPROXIMATE 80 TO 90 DEGREE BANK IN AN ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO THE RUNWAY.  THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A LEFT WING, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE NEAR THE TAKEOFF RUNWAY.

## 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 CHI97FA093](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97FA093), Mar 27, 1997: Stinson 108 (N97120), Greenfield, IN, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: a loss of engine power due to restricted movement in the exhaust valve and rotted/weathered ignition harness, and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertant stall.

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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