Piper PA-22 accident near Griffith, Indiana, April 27, 1986
On April 27, 1986 at about 6:56 pm local time, a Piper PA-22, registered N3321A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Griffith, Indiana (Giffith airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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 27, 1986 · about 6:56 pm local time
- Place
- Griffith, Indiana · Giffith · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22 · all PA-22s on the register
- Registration
- N3321A · no longer on the register · serial 22-1596
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF AND WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 60 FT AGL THE PLT COULD NOT MOVE THE AILERON TO RECOVER FROM A 15 DEG LEFT BANK. THE PLT REDUCED POWER AND LANDED THE ACFT IN A LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE. THE ACFT SLID AND STRUCK A CREEK BANK WITH THE RIGHT WING. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED THE RUDDER PEDALS WERE JAMMED IN THE FULL LEFT POSITION. THE AILERON AND RUDDER CONTROLS ARE INTERCONNECTED ON THIS ACFT.
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: 436 hours in all; 136 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 134 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,450 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 1985; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O5C Giffith IN at 6:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 4,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from GYY, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.