Piper PA-38-112 accident near Benton, Kansas, July 30, 1987
On July 30, 1987 at about 1:00 am local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2355N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Benton, Kansas (Benton 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 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
- July 30, 1987 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Benton, Kansas · Benton · 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
- N2355N · no longer on the register · serial 3879A0803
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE PRACTICING SOFT FIELD TAKE OFFS, STUDENT PLT WITH CFI OVER ROTATED ACFT CAUSING PREMATURE FLT BEFORE ATTAINING VXSE AIRSPEED. CFI ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT THE SITUATION, BUT ACFT SETTLED IN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT BEYOND THE AIRPORT BOUNDARY. ACFT STRUCK THE TERRAIN AND WAS SUBSTANTALLY DAMAGED.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 754 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 531 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,735 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1987; 9 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: 1K1 Benton KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 2,600 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.