Piper PA-38-112 accident near Barnwell, South Carolina, April 16, 1988
On April 16, 1988 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N4233E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Barnwell, South Carolina (Barnwell airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 1988 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Barnwell, South Carolina · Barnwell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N4233E · no longer on the register · serial 3878A0498
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING INITIAL CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COWLING UNFASTENED AND BEGAN FLUTTERING VIOLENTLY. THE INSTRUCTOR ASSUMED CONTROL OF ACFT & MADE A FORCED LANDING STRAIGHT AHEAD INTO A CULTIVATED FIELD. THE ACFT NOSED UP SUSTAINING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING THE LANDING ROLL. AN FAA INSPECTOR AT THE AIRPORT WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT & EXAMINED THE ACFT AFTER THE ACCIDENT. HE RPTED THAT THE DZEUS FASTENERS IN THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE TOP PORTION OF THE COWL WERE ABSENT. THE REASON FOR THE LOSS OF THE FASTENERS WAS NOT DETERMINED. A MAINTENANCE INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED 20 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE FLT. THE TAKEOFF WAS BEGUN AT A RWY INTERSECTION LEAVING ABOUT 2500 FT OF A 5,118 FT RWY FOR THE TAKEOFF.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 402 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days; 274 as pilot in command; 130 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,037 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 6, 1988; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Crystal Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BNL at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 99N
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,118 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.