Piper PA-28-180 accident near Syracuse, Indiana, June 23, 1986
On June 23, 1986 at about 1:36 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N8226W, was destroyed in an accident near Syracuse, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- June 23, 1986 · about 1:36 pm local time
- Place
- Syracuse, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N8226W · no longer on the register · serial 28-2360
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO A LAKE WHILE MAKING A FAREWELL LOW PASS AT FRIENDS ON THE LAKESHORE. HE CAME OVER THE LAKE TOWARD HIS FRIENDS AT SUCH A LOW ALT THAT HE HAD TO PULL UP TO GET OVER THE TREES. HE COMMENCED A STEEP RT TURN WHICH PROGRESSED INTO A DESCENT WITH THE ACFT RT WING CONTACTING THE WATER, BEGINNING THE CRASH SEQUENCE.
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: 397 hours in all; 397 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,193 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 1986; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GSH Goshen IN at 1:30 pm
- Destination: 2IN2 Mt. Comfort IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from SBN, 32 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.