Piper PA-28-180 accident near Orleans, Indiana, June 20, 1985
On June 20, 1985 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N7750N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Orleans, Indiana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- June 20, 1985 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Orleans, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7750N · no longer on the register · serial 28-5195
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT, THE PLT NOTED THAT THE ENG RPM DROPPED FROM 2500 TO 2000. HE COULD NOT RESTORE THE RPM. HE THEN HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM THE ENG COMPARTMENT & THE ENG SEIZED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED DURING AN EMERG LANDING IN A CORN FIELD. A TEARDOWN OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE #3 ROD, PN 74502-S, WAS BROKEN, BENT & WEDGED BETWEEN THE #4 ROD & ENG CASE. THE #3 BEARING SURFACE ON THE CRANKSHAFT WAS GALLED & BOTH ROD BOLTS ON THE #3 CONNECTING ROD WERE BROKEN. ALSO, THE #2 & #4 CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS, PN 72218, HAD SPUN. METAL PARTICALS WERE FOUND THRU-OUT THE ENG. THERE WAS STILL 5-1/2 QTS OF OIL IN THE ENG.
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: 297 hours in all; 297 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,123 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 23, 1984; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LUK Cincinnati OH at 4:35 pm
- Destination: SUS St.Louis MO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:35 pm from IND, 40 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.