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CHI88LA247

1988-09-23 · ORLEANS, Indiana, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 7I4

Current FAA registration · N21985

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-181
Year of manufacture
1978 · 10 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19780911
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1DE7F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT AND TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE FROM THE UTILITY POLE AND TRANSMISSION WIRE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE CAUSE WERE THE PILOT'S TOTAL LACK OF EXPERIENCE, TASK OVERLOAD, AND ANXIETY, STEMMING FROM A PARTIAL LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER, WHICH LED TO DISORIENTATION AND THE ATTEMPTED LANDING AT THE WRONG AIRPORT.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A PARTIAL LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER WHILE ON A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, BECAME LOST AND ANXIOUS, AND ATTEMPTED TO LAND AT THE WRONG AIRPORT. WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH THE LEFT LANDING GEAR STRUCK A UTILITY POLE AND THE LEFT WING TOUCHED A TRANSMISSION WIRE. THE PILOT RECOVERED AND CONTINUED TO HIS INTENDED DESTINATION, LANDING WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1988_CHI88LA247.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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