Piper PA-28-140 accident near Culver, Indiana, July 7, 1986
On July 7, 1986 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N32858, was destroyed in an accident near Culver, Indiana. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 1986 · about 12:45 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Culver, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N32858 · registry record · serial 287525122
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT INITIATED THE TAKEOFF, HOWEVER, THE CFI TOOK OVER CONTROL OF THE ACFT WHEN IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE ACFT WAS NOT CLIMBING. THE CFI WAS UNABLE TO SALVAGE THE TAKEOFF AND THE ACFT STRUCK AND SETTLED INTO TREES AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RWY.
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: flight instructor
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 307 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 286 as pilot in command; 44 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,730 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Culver Educational Foundation
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N32858 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N32858 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Warrior, Archer and Arrow 18,621 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D 65 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Indiana 1,367 since 1982 · 179 in the last ten years
- Indiana 5,702 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N32858 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI86LA165.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.