Piper PA-28-180 accident near Hagerstown, Indiana, August 26, 2007
On August 26, 2007 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N15425, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hagerstown, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's use of an unsuitable runway for takeoff and delayed aborted takeoff. Factors were the wet grass and the fence the airplane impacted and subsequently nosed over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2007 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hagerstown, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N15425 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7305074
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted a fence and nosed over during an aborted takeoff from runway 20 (4,000 feet by 200 feet, wet grass). The pilot stated, "It was 8:00 AM the grass was a little tall and covered with heavy dew. I did not feel that the plane was accelerating like I thought that it should." The pilot reported that about halfway down the runway the airplane lifted "slightly off the turf, then settled back down" and headed left of the centerline. The pilot said that the airplane "slid on the wet grass, struck a steel farm fence, and nosed over ... in a soybean field." The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane in reference to the flight.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 123 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 72 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,278 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hagerstown IN
- Destination: MQJ Indianapolis IN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from MIE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.