Piper PA-28-161 N8236U

Summary

On 26 September 1983 at about 01:55 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N8236U was involved in an accident near Bethany, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

26 September 1983 at 01:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Bethany, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

39.6399, -88.7399

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N8236U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oelwein → Terre Haute

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

CHI83FA441

2 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

PRIOR TO THIS FLT, THE PLT HAD CONTACTED A FSS & INQUIRED ABOUT THE WX. HE WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT TO TERRE HAUTE, IN, WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. HE TOOK OFF AT ABOUT 1830 CDT. THE PLT AGAIN CONTACTED THE FSS & INQUIRED ABOUT THE WX AT BURLINGTON, IA & SPRINGFIELD, IL (A PROBABLE ROUTE TO AVOID CONGESTED TRAFFIC IN THE CHICAGO, IL AREA). REPORTEDLY, THE WX IN THE BURLINGTON AREA WAS ACCEPTABLE, BUT THE PLT WAS AGAIN ADVISED THAT FLT TO TERRA HAUTE WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THIS WAS THE LAST KNOWN RADIO CONTACT WITH THE ACFT. JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, WITNESSES HEARD THE ACFT. ONE WITNESS HEARD THE ENG 'REV UP' & THEN SAW A BLINKING LIGHT, JUST BEFORE THE PLANE CRASHED. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE ACFT HAD SEPARATED IN FLT. THE R STABILIZER, LOWER HALF OF THE TAIL CONE, FORWARD SECTION OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER, L FLAP & L WING WERE FOUND ABOUT 1 TO 1 1/2 MI FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. NO PRE-ACCIDENT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE PLT HAD LOGGED 1 HR OF NIGHT TIME IN THE PRECEEDING 90 DAYS, BUT HAD NOT LOGGED NGT LNDGS DRG THAT TIME.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.