Piper PA24 accident near Knox, Indiana, March 21, 2018
On March 21, 2018 at about 9:55 pm local time, a 1960 Piper PA24, registered N6785P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Knox, Indiana (Starke County airport). It was an instructional 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 flight instructor’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 2018 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Knox, Indiana · Starke County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA24 250, built 1960 · all PA24s on the register
- Registration
- N6785P · no longer on the register · serial 24-1916
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during landing, while the student pilot was flying, the airplane ballooned. He added that he took the flight controls and landed on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 35 hours in all; 7.3 in this make and model; 14.5 in the last 90 days; 4.3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,024 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 1,896.4 as pilot in command; 268.5 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,049.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A (piston); 494 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 05C Griffith IN at 7:30 pm
- Destination: OXI Knox IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,401 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from KPPO, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 23, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N6785P 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.