Piper PA-28-181 accident near Muncie, Indiana, August 8, 1996
On August 8, 1996 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N9137N, was destroyed in an accident near Muncie, Indiana (Delaware CO Johnson airport). It was a personal 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
the inadvertent flight of the airplane by the pilot-in-command into a thunderstorm. The weather was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1996 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Muncie, Indiana · Delaware CO Johnson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N9137N · no longer on the register · serial 7102807
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted terrain following a loss of control. Weather data around the accident site at the time of the accident showed thunderstorms with one half mile visibility, heavy rain and fog.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,026 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 981 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 1996; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OKK Kokomo IN at 2:50 pm
- Destination: MIE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:20 pm from MIE, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.