Piper PA-28-180 accident near West Lafayette, IN
On July 11, 2001, a Piper PA-28-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near West Lafayette, IN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 11, 2001
- Place
- West Lafayette, IN
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.468°N, 86.947°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010910X01912
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 11, 2001, at 0015 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N8955J, operated by Indy Aero, Inc., sustained substantial damage when it impacted a field and trees during a forced landing near West Lafayette, Indiana. The private pilot received fatal injuries. Witnesses reported hearing the airplane flying at a low altitude when the engine quit. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight had departed Mount Comfort Airport (MQJ), Greenfield, Indiana, approximately 2115, July 10, 2001. The airplane was not on a flight plan and no record of a weather brief was reported. The destination airport is unknown. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. A witness reported the pilot had arrived at the MQJ about 2100. The pilot was observed getting in N8955J and taxiing for takeoff on an unscheduled flight. N8955J was observed flying in the local traffic pattern. The witness observed the airplane make one full stop landing and takeoff, and a low approach before departing the pattern. A hand-held aviation Garmin GPS III was found in the "ON" position at the site of the accident. The recorded track data indicated N8955J flew north from the Mt. Comfort area to Wabash, Indiana. It then proceeded east to the Logansport, Indiana, area, before turning southeast toward Lafayette, Indiana. The track data indicated about 2 hours and 18 minutes elapsed during the portion of the flight recorded by the GPS. The GPS did not provide altitude readouts. A deputy of the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department reported that at 0015 he observed an airplane flyin
Probable cause
The fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's alcohol impaired decision making. Additional factors were the trees and night.
More accidents in IN
- Pilatus PC-12, May 25, 2011
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-60, Sep 11, 1992
- Cessna 310N, Nov 20, 1984
- Cessna T303, Nov 14, 2006
- Cessna U206G, Apr 21, 2006
Browse: Indiana · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
