- Date
- April 17, 1986, 18:26 local (Apr 18, 1986, 00:26 UTC)
- Place
- Westville, IN
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4491JPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860417014849A
- Case key
- 13254
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt was taking a friend and two of her acquaintances on a sightseeing ride when the acft crashed into a plowed farm field. The acft's weight was estimated to be 60 lbs under max allowable gross weight at the time of the crash. A witness near the crash stated that the aircraft was flying low, clearing a powerline just before the crash. She said the acft was nose low and traveling at a high rate of speed. Investigation revealed no preimpact part failure or malfunction. A check of the plt's logbook revealed that the plt had 133.4 hours with 5.6 hours logged in the previous 12 months.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4491J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-22909
- Airframe hours
- 1,982
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mark Murvihill, doing business as Murvihill Aero Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Hyzer Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 8, 1985 · 66 hours before
- Departed
- VPZ · Valparaiso, IN
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 133 total · 19 in this make and model · 73 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBN, 28 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.