NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CHI82DA238
Registry · N56339
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-28R-200
Year of manufacture
1973 · 9 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-360-C1C (200 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20190814
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A734F2
Registrant of record
N56339 LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING FLIGHT, HE ENCOUNTERED AN ENGINE PROBLEM AND STARTED TO LAND ON A ROAD, BUT THEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN BETTER, SO HE CONTINUED TO HIS DESTINATION. AFTER LANDING, HE DISCOVERED THAT A PORTION OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER (ABOUT 18 INCHES) AND A CORRESPONDING PART OF THE RUDDER WERE MISSING. DURING AN INTERVIEW, THE PILOT DENIED BEING AWARE THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD STRUCK ANY OBSTRUCTIONS. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT AN AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN FLYING AT TREETOP LEVEL ABOVE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 94 FOR AN OBSERVED DISTANCE OF 15 TO 17 MILES. ALSO, THE MISSING PIECES OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER WERE FOUND ADJACENT TO THE HIGHWAY. ADDITIONALLY, DAMAGE WAS FOUND ON TWO OF THREE POWER LINES THAT WERE NEARBY AND ABOUT 90 FT AGL. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1982_CHI82DA238.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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