Piper PA-38-112 accident near Colombia Staton, Ohio, December 31, 1996
On December 31, 1996, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2587G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colombia Staton, Ohio (Colombia 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
inadequate supervision by the flight instructor (CFI), and his failure to ensure that sufficient altitude and/or clearance was maintain from obstructions (trees) during the approach. Darkness was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 1996
- Place
- Colombia Staton, Ohio · Colombia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2587G · no longer on the register · serial 38-79A0558
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on a dual instructional flight at night, with the student at the controls, when it collided with trees during a landing approach. The flight instructor (CFI) took control of the airplane and flew it to another airport, about 10 miles away, and then landed. Neither the CFI, the registered owner, nor the student reported the accident. During a routine ramp surveillance, an FAA Inspector noticed the airplane was substantially damage. The student pilot, who had about 28 hours of total flight time, said this was her first night dual instruction.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 16,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,076 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 24, 1996; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TSO Carrollton OH at 11:20 pm
- Destination: 4G8
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,010 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from CLE, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.