Piper PA28-R-200 accident near W. Frankfort, Indiana, August 3, 1998
On August 3, 1998 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Piper PA28-R-200, registered N4596T, was substantially damaged in an accident near W. Frankfort, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the fuel mixture control linkage, and inadequate inspections by maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1998 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- W. Frankfort, Indiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28-R-200 · all PA28-R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N4596T · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7235103
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While at cruise altitude the airplane began to lose power after the pilot had adjusted the mixture control. The pilot said he attempted numerous throttle, mixture and fuel tank settings to regain power. The airplane began losing altitude and the pilot said he decided upon a forced landing. While making a turn toward the field of choice, the airplane's auto-extend landing gear extended. The airplane began a more rapid sink rate and the pilot had to select another field. The airplane's left main landing gear struck a power line. The airplane landed in a left yaw attitude without its left main landing gear attached to the airframe. The airplane's auto-extend landing gear is designed to extend the landing gear when the airplane's airspeed goes below 105-MPH. This sytem can be over-ridden by using a switch in the airplane's cockpit. The on-scene investigation revealed the fuel mixture control's mechanical linkage had separated from the flexible cable attached to the mixture control's lever. The fuel servo's mechanical mixture control stop for the mixture lever did not have wear marks at the full rich position.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,300 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 5,180 as pilot in command; 3,080 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,134 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 18, 1998; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming I0-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAF Lafayette IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.