Piper PA-38-112 accident near Hills, Iowa, May 31, 1984
On May 31, 1984 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2364D, was destroyed in an accident near Hills, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- May 31, 1984 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hills, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2364D · no longer on the register · serial 3879A0283
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A 90 DEGREE BANK WITH THE NOSE DOWN ABOUT 20 DEGREES. THE ACFT HAD BEEN SEEN IN A SERIESOF LOW ALT DIVES AND CLIMBS. ON THIS LAST CLIMB OVER THE TREES A WITNESS SAW A WING SUDDENLY DROP AND THE ACFT DISAPPEAR BEHIND THE TREES. THE PLT WAS AN INSTRUCTOR WHO HAD GONE OUT SOLO FOR LOCAL PRACTICE FLYING ONLY A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. NOTHING MECHANICAL OR PHYSICAL WAS FOUND THAT WAS CONSIDERED CAUSAL IN NATURE.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,770 hours in all; 44 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,521 as pilot in command; 1,325 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,639 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 24, 1984; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IOW Iowa City IA at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from CID, 24 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.
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.