Piper PA-24-250 accident near Kokomo, Indiana, August 1, 1987
On August 1, 1987 at about 3:53 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N7841P, was destroyed in an accident near Kokomo, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 1, 1987 · about 3:53 pm local time
- Place
- Kokomo, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N7841P · no longer on the register · serial 24-3063
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLTS PREFLT WX BRIEFING REVEALED MARGINAL VFR & IFR WX ALONG HIS PROPOSED ROUTE, WITH A PRECAUTION FOR THUNDERSTORMS. AN IFR FLT PLAN WAS FILED AND THE ACFT DEPARTED. LATER DURING FLT THE PLT WAS RADIOED INFO ABOUT A CONVECTIVE SIGMET THAT CONTAINED A LINE OF T-STORMS REACHING 45000 FT ACROSS HIS ROUTE. THE PLT STATED THAT HE WANTED TO CONTINUE ON ROUTE & WOULD CHECK BACK LATER. ABOUT 20 MIN LATER THE PLT WAS WARNED THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO ENTER HEAVY PRECIP AND WAS OFFERED AN ESCAPE ROUTE. HIS LAST TRANSMISSION WAS 'OK FOUR ONE POP.' A FEW MINUTES LATER HIS TRANSPONDER CODE WAS LOST ON RADAR. THE ACFT WAS AT 9000 FT MSL AND EXPERIENCED INFLT SEPARATION OF BOTH WINGS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1D5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BNA Nashville TN at 1:48 pm
- Destination: EKM Elkhart IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from GUS, 15 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N7841P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.