Piper PA-28 accident near Auburn, Indiana, August 10, 1988
On August 10, 1988 at about 9:50 am local time, a Piper PA-28, registered N3828K, was destroyed in an accident near Auburn, Indiana (Dekalb City airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FLIGHT KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1988 · about 9:50 am local time
- Place
- Auburn, Indiana · Dekalb City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28 · all PA-28s on the register
- Registration
- N3828K · no longer on the register · serial 28-23741
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUMENT RATED PVT PLT FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FOR A FLT FROM AN UNCONTROLLED ARPT AT NIGHT. THE ARPT MANAGER WAS AWAKENED BY THE SOUND OF THE ACFT STARTING & TAXIING. HE NOTED THAT THE RWY LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT WERE OBSCURED BY DENSE FOG. HIS HOUSE WAS APRX 150 FT FROM THE RWY. AT 0445 EST, THE PLT OBTAINED A CLNC TO TAKEOFF WITH A VOID TIME OF 0500 EST. WHEN THE VOID TIME HAD PASSED & THE PLT HAD NOT CONTACTED ATC, ATC PSNL CONTACTED THE ARPT MANAGER. THE ARPT MANAGER CHECKED THE HANGAR AREA & FOUND THE ACFT HAD DEPARTED. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED, BUT IT WAS HAMPERED BY DENSE FOG. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WAS FOUND WHERE IT HAD CRASHED ABOUT 700 FT SOUTHWEST FROM THE DEP END OF RWY 27. INITIAL IMPACT OCCURRED WITH A 40 FT TREE WHILE THE ACFT WAS ON A HEADING OF 258 DEG. AFTER TRAVELING ABOUT 200 FT, IT HIT ANOTHER TREE ABOUT 26 FT ABOVE THE GROUND, THEN CRASHED TO THE GROUND. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND, THOUGH IT WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT & FIRE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 275 hours in all; 223 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,863 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 5, 1988; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 07C
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 3,375 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 am from FWA, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.