Piper PA-28-140 accident near Westville, Indiana, April 18, 1986
On April 18, 1986, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N4491J, was destroyed in an accident near Westville, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were 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
- April 18, 1986
- Place
- Westville, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N4491J · no longer on the register · serial 28-22909
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS TAKING A FRIEND AND TWO OF HER ACQUAINTANCES ON A SIGHTSEEING RIDE WHEN THE ACFT CRASHED INTO A PLOWED FARM FIELD. THE ACFT'S WEIGHT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 60 LBS UNDER MAX ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. A WITNESS NEAR THE CRASH STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING LOW, CLEARING A POWERLINE JUST BEFORE THE CRASH. SHE SAID THE ACFT WAS NOSE LOW AND TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. A CHECK OF THE PLT'S LOGBOOK REVEALED THAT THE PLT HAD 133.4 HOURS WITH 5.6 HOURS LOGGED IN THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS.
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: 133 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 2 in the last 30 days; 73 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,982 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 1985; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VPZ Valparaiso IN at 11:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:48 pm from SBN, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.