Piper PA-25-150 accident near Winamac, Indiana, July 20, 1982
On July 20, 1982 at about 11:58 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-150, registered N6241Z, was destroyed in an accident near Winamac, Indiana (Gimple airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- July 20, 1982 · about 11:58 pm local time
- Place
- Winamac, Indiana · Gimple · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-150 · all PA-25-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6241Z · registry record · serial 25-296
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS PRACTICING AERIAL APPLICATION MANEUVERS, & AFTER MAKING A LOW PASS DOWN THE RWY AT HIS PRIVATE AIRSTRIP, THEENGINE QUIT. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH 30-FT HIGH POWER LINES LOCATED AT THE END OF THE STRIP. A STATE TROOPER WHO ARRIVED AT THE SCENE 10 TO 15 MIN AFTER THE ACCIDENT STATED THERE WAS NO SMELL OF FUEL. THE PLT'S DAUGHTER STATED THAT THERE HAD BEEN SOME LABORERS WORKING NEAR THE FARM PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT & THAT BOTH THE FARMS TRACTOR & CATERPILLAR HAD FUEL SIPHONED OUT OF THE FUEL TANKS.
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: 1,144 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,130 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,837 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Winamac IN at 6:45 pm
- Destination: Winamac IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 183°F (84°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from SBN, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.