Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Lafayette, Indiana, April 8, 1984
On April 8, 1984 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N56738, was destroyed in an accident near Lafayette, Indiana (Aretz airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 8, 1984 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lafayette, Indiana · Aretz · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N56738 · no longer on the register · serial 28R7435037
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS PRACTICING ACCURACY LANDINGS WHEN HE NOTICED THAT THE ACFT HAD BLOWN AWAY FROM THE RWY. WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO INCREASE THE THROTTLE SETTING THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. IN AN ATTEMPT TO LAND ON A HIGHWAY ON-RAMP THE ACFT STRUCK AN ELECTRIC WIRE, A STREET SIGN & AN AUTOMOBILE. AN ON-GROUND FIRE INSUED. THE PROP CONTROL WAS FOUND IN HIGH PITCH, THE MIXTURE CONTROL IN IDLE CUTOFF & THE THROTTLE FULL OPEN. DUE TO SIMILARITY OF THE MIXTURE & PROP CONTROL KNOBS THE MIXTURE CONTROL MAY HAVE BEEN LEANED IN LIEU OF MOVING THE PROP CONTROL TO HIGH PITCH IN PREPARATION FOR THE ACCURACY LANDING. AN ENGINE RUN WAS SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHED AFTER THE ACCIDENT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 248 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 113 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,937 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 15, 1983; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:01 pm from LAF, 10 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.