Piper PA-28-140 accident near Brookston, Indiana, February 15, 1996
On February 15, 1996, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N4612F, was destroyed in an accident near Brookston, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's disregard for the forecast adverse weather conditions, his inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions, and his disorientation. Factors relating to this accident were the pilot's lack of experience in instrument conditions, the snow and fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 1996
- Place
- Brookston, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N4612F · no longer on the register · serial 28-7725025
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to takeoff, the pilot called his girlfriend and asked her to pick him up at Gary Municipal Airport, Gary, Indiana, in one hour. One hour and 45 minutes later, the girlfriend contacted the Gary Air Traffic Control Tower, who advised her that they had had no contact with the pilot. The wreckage was discovered the following morning. The pilot received a flight service station briefing prior to takeoff. The briefing included low ceilings and snow showers along the pilot's route of flight. A witness reported seeing 'fast-moving snow showers' in West Lafayette, Indiana, between 1900 and 1930 est. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies with the airplane. The pilot received his instrument rating one week prior to the accident. The pilot's logbook showed 2.8 hours of actual instrument time. The pilot's instrument flight instructor said the first time the pilot encountered actual instrument conditions, he became disoriented.
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: 164 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 113 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,794 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 3, 1996; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3AR Lafayette IN
- Destination: GYY Gary IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:49 pm from LAF, 12 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.