Piper PA-32-260 accident near Angola, Indiana, March 13, 1985
On March 13, 1985 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N3974W, was destroyed in an accident near Angola, Indiana (Tri-State Stevben airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed and 4 people were seriously injured. 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
- March 13, 1985 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Angola, Indiana · Tri-State Stevben · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N3974W · no longer on the register · serial 32-885
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED INTO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. DURING FLIGHT THE ACFT BEGAN TO ACCUMULATE STRUCTURAL ICING. THE PILOT ELECTED TO CONTINUE ON & EVENTUALLY DECIDED TO LAND AT ANGOLA, IN. DURING FINAL TURN THE PILOT SELECTED 10 DEGREES OF FLAPS. THE ACFT THEN DROPPED HITTING THE GROUND IN A FLAT ATTITUDE. THE ACFT SKIDDED ABOUT 265 FEET TO THE EDGE OF RUNWAY 05.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,383 hours in all; 880 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 1,283 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,334 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 2, 1984; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAN Lansing MI at 10:35 pm
- Destination: I14 Indianapolis IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:30 pm from ANQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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.