Piper PA-44-180 accident near Mccutchanville, Indiana, November 19, 1982
On November 19, 1982 at about 9:03 am local time, a Piper PA-44-180, registered N2161N, was destroyed in an accident near Mccutchanville, Indiana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- November 19, 1982 · about 9:03 am local time
- Place
- Mccutchanville, Indiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180 · all PA-44-180s on the register
- Registration
- N2161N · no longer on the register · serial 447995221
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ABOUT 0401 EST, THE PILOT TOOK OFF ON AN IFR FLIGHT AND WAS CLEARED TO CLIMB AND MAINTAIN 6000 FT MSL. RADAR CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED AT ABOUT 0402. AFTER ABOUT ANOTHER 30 SECONDS, RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED ABOUT 3 TO 4 MI FROM THE DEPARTURE RUNWAY IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE AND STRUCTURE WERE MADE, BUT NO PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES WERE FOUND. SEVERAL WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE ENGINES WERE OPERATING AT HIGH POWER UNTIL IMPACT. THE TOTAL CARGO LOAD (BAGS AND BOXES) WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 399 LBS. NO CARGO NET WAS FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE, BUT SEVERAL TIEDOWN ROPES WERE FOUND. THE POSSIBILITY OF THE CARGO SHIFTING WAS CONSIDERED, BUT WAS NOT DETERMINED. IF THE CARGO HAD SHIFTEDFULL AFT DURING THE CLIMB, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ONLY ABOUT .5% BEHIND THE AFT CG LIMIT.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,612 hours in all; 1,389 in this make and model; 208 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 2,453 as pilot in command; 434 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,444 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-E1A60 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Evansville IN at 4:01 am
- Destination: East St. Louis IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 8,021 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 136°F (58°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:49 am from EVV
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.