Piper PA-28-161 accident near Valparaiso, Indiana, June 3, 1995
On June 3, 1995 at about 4:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8447T, was destroyed in an accident near Valparaiso, Indiana (Porter County Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER EXECUTION OF THE ILS APPROACH. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE FOG AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL FLIGHT TIME IN ACTUAL INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 1995 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Valparaiso, Indiana · Porter County Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8447T · no longer on the register · serial 28-8216025
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT SEE ANY RUNWAY LIGHTS DURING THE FIRST ILS TO RWY 27 BECAUSE OF FOG, SO HE MADE A MISSED APPROACH. DURING THE SECOND APPROACH, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. THE LAST THING THE PILOT REMEMBERS IS STARTING TO SEE LIGHTS UPON REACHING THE OUTER MARKER DURING THE SECOND APPROACH. THE AIRPORT IS LOCATED NEAR A WELL LIGHTED POWER PLANT STATION. THE PILOT REPORTED HAVING 10 HOURS OF ACTUAL INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TIME.
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: 180 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 160 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,377 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 3, 1995; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FCM Minneapolis MN at 11:39 pm
- Destination: VPZ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from SBN, 40 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.