Piper PA-38-112 accident near Griffith, Indiana, September 16, 1993
On September 16, 1993 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2353K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Griffith, Indiana (Griffith airport). It was an instructional 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 improper recovery from a bounced landing by the pilot-in- command.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1993 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Griffith, Indiana · Griffith · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2353K · registry record · serial 38-79A0587
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was attempting a full stop landing. The airplane touched down hard and ballooned. A witness estimated the airplane went 25-30 feet in the air. The student then added power to execute a go-around, but the airplane was in a nose-down attitude. The airplane struck the runway collapsing the nose landing gear.
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: student
- Flight time: 95 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 41 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,923 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 4, 1993; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GYY Gary IN at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 4,013 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from GYY, 7 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.