Piper PA-28 accident near Minden, New York, May 24, 1998
On May 24, 1998 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28, registered N15913, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minden, New York (Nellis Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush. A related factor was the rough/uneven runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1998 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Minden, New York · Nellis Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28 · all PA-28s on the register
- Registration
- N15913 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7225593
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was demonstrating a soft field takeoff to the student pilot. During the takeoff, the airplane hit a dip about 100 feet down the runway, and, according to the flight instructor, it 'catapulted them into the air in an extremely nose high attitude.' The instructor thought the student pilot was frozen on the controls when the airplane did not respond to his control inputs, so he yelled, 'I've got the airplane.' The student pilot reported that the instructor pulled the nose of the airplane up, the airplane started to shake and the instructor commented on being 'behind the power curve.' The airplane went off the left side of the runway through 24 inch tall grass and struck trees before it came to rest. The flight instructor reported he did not retard the throttle during the takeoff and did not experience any mechanical problems with the airplane.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 19 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command; 2,540 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,114 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 20, 1998; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D-2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NY20 at 9:20 pm
- Destination: GBR Grt Barrington MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,750 ft by 20 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from ALB, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.