Piper PA-22 accident near Crawfordsville, Indiana, October 15, 1995
On October 15, 1995 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-22, registered N834A, was destroyed in an accident near Crawfordsville, Indiana (Shades State Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's premature raising of the flaps and the low airspeed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1995 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Crawfordsville, Indiana · Shades State Park
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22 · all PA-22s on the register
- Registration
- N834A · no longer on the register · serial 22-134
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT PERFORMED A SHORT FIELD TAKEOFF WITH FULL FLAPS AT 65 MPH. HE THEN RETRACTED FLAPS TO FULL UP POSITION. HE SAID THE AIRPLANE FELT AS IF IT WAS IN A DOWNDRAFT CONDITION WITH THE AIRSPEED NEVER GETTING OVER 65 MPH. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED LEFT WING LOW IN A FIELD. THE PA-22 FLIGHT MANUAL DOES NOT ADDRESS FULL OR PARTIAL FLAP TAKEOFFS.
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: 1,050 hours in all; 76 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,550 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 1995; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8I2 at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,745 ft by 135 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from IND, 37 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.