Piper PA-22-108 accident near Hoven, South Dakota, August 14, 1988
On August 14, 1988 at about 7:15 am local time, a Piper PA-22-108, registered N5301Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hoven, South Dakota. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1988 · about 7:15 am local time
- Place
- Hoven, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-108 · all PA-22-108s on the register
- Registration
- N5301Z · registry record · serial 22-9003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PLT AND HIS WIFE WERE GOING TO MAKE A LOCAL FLIGHT IN THEIR AIRPLANE AT 0215. THE PLT SAID HE HAND- PROPPED THE ACFT AND MOVED TO ENTER THE CABIN AS THE ENGINE STARTED. THE ACFT BEGAN TO MOVE, AND HIS WIFE PULLED THE PARKING BRAKE LOCK, WHICH RELEASED THE PARKING BRAKE. SHE WAS FRIGHTENED AND JUMPED CLEAR OF THE ACFT. THE PLANE TAXIED OUT OF SIGHT INTO THE DARKNESS. A POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION BY AN FAA INSPECTOR PROVIDED EVIDENCE THAT THE AIRPLANE TAXIED ACROSS A GRASS PARKING AREA, THROUGH A FENCE, ONTO A ROADWAY EMBANKMENT WHERE IT BECAME AIRBORNE FOR A SHORT DISTANCE, THEN STRUCK THE TERRAIN AND NOSED OVER. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST WITH THE TAIL LEANING AGAINST A TREE ON AN ADJOINING FARM, 3/4 MI FROM IT'S STARTING POINT.
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: 103 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 50 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,007 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 17, 1988; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SD22
- Destination: SD22
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.