Piper PA-28-140 accident near Laporte, Indiana, August 2, 1998
On August 2, 1998 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N8398R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Laporte, Indiana (La Porte Municipal Airpor 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
was the student pilot s inadequate compensation for the wind conditions he encountered during the landing phase. A factor in this accident was the pilot s lack of total experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 1998 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Laporte, Indiana · La Porte Municipal Airpor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N8398R · registry record · serial 28-22275
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot said the airplane drifted beyond the runway's edge due to a sudden gust of wind from the airplane's right side. The airplane's left main landing gear collided with a runway marking sign shortly after the pilot applied full power for a go around. The landing gear separated from the wing's main spar attach point and fell to the earth. The pilot flew the airplane for about 1-hour after the accident returning to the airport and landing on the same runway he had departed.
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: 27 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,017 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 21, 1998; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PPO
- Destination: PPO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 4,400 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.