- Date
- August 10, 1988, 04:50 local (09:50 UTC)
- Place
- Auburn, IN
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3828KPiper PA-28
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880810035719A
- Case key
- 13961
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Flight known adverse weather conditions.
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 instrument rated pvt plt filed an IFR flt plan for a flt from an uncontrolled arpt at night. The arpt manager was awakened by the sound of the acft starting & taxiing. He noted that the rwy lights were on, but were obscured by dense fog. His house was aprx 150 ft from the rwy. At 0445 EST, the plt obtained a clnc to takeoff with a void time of 0500 EST. When the void time had passed & the plt had not contacted ATC, ATC psnl contacted the arpt manager. The arpt manager checked the hangar area & found the acft had departed. A search was initiated, but it was hampered by dense fog. Subsequently, the acft was found where it had crashed about 700 ft southwest from the dep end of rwy 27. Initial impact occurred with a 40 ft tree while the acft was on a heading of 258 deg. After traveling about 200 ft, it hit another tree about 26 ft above the ground, then crashed to the ground. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the acft was found, though it was destroyed by impact & fire.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3828K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-23741
- Airframe hours
- 2,863
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Mark Sherbinski, doing business as Special Trucks, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Special Trucks, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 5, 1988 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- 07C
- Destination
- OSH · Oshkosh, WI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 07C · Dekalb City, runway 27, 3,375 × 50 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 275 total · 223 in this make and model · 250 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 220° at 5 knots
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FWA, 20 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.