Piper PA-28-140 accident near Lake Village, Indiana, May 5, 1988
On May 5, 1988 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N55552, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Village, Indiana (Lake Village airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- May 5, 1988 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Village, Indiana · Lake Village · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N55552 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7325350
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD LANDED LONG AND, REALIZING HE WOULD NOT STOP BEFORE RUNNING OFF THE RUNWAY, ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND. THE PILOT STATED HE HAD ONE NOTCH OF FLAPS DOWN, APPROXIMATELY 10 DEGREES, AND AFTER ADDING FULL POWER ATTEMPTED TO LIFT-OFF. THE AIRCRAFT RAN OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY, COLLIDED WITH A FENCE, AND CAME TO REST IN AN OPEN FIELD.
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: 311 hours in all; 311 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3HA Lansing IL at 10:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,480 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.