Piper PA-38-112 accident near Manville, New Jersey, August 27, 1988
On August 27, 1988 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2445N, was destroyed in an accident near Manville, New Jersey (Kupper airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- August 27, 1988 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Manville, New Jersey · Kupper
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2445N · no longer on the register · serial 38-112
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER COMPLETING SIX LANDINGS WITH AN INSTRUCTOR THE STUDENT PLT WAS RELEASED BY THE INSTRUCTOR FOR HIS FIRST SOLO FLT TO BE CONDUCTED AS A SERIES OF CLOSED PATTERN TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS. ON HIS FIRST SOLO LANDING THE STUDENT PLT LANDED NOSE WHEEL FIRST WITH A HIGH SINK RATE. THE NOSE WHEEL STEERING LINKAGE FAILED AND ON THE SECOND LANDING THE NOSE WHEEL WAS COCKED 90 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT. AT TOUCH DOWN THE ACFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY TO THE RIGHT SHEARING THE NOSE GEAR AND DAMAGING THE PROPELLER, ENGINE MOUNTS, FIREWALL, AND UNDERSIDE LONGITUDINAL STRINGERS.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 46 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,250 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kupper Aero Sales,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 47N at 1:00 pm
- Destination: 47N
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 3,415 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.