Piper J3C-65 Cub N88218 struck a car on a road beside the Boonville Airport in Indiana on October 18, 2026, while flying low at the end of the runway, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report. A passenger in the car later died of his injuries; the pilot and the car’s driver were not hurt.
The report, case CEN27LA021, was posted in late October, and Evansville-area stations including 14 News covered its findings on November 2. It describes a sequence of low passes and turns flown at the small turf field before the collision, which happened about 3 p.m. local time.
What the NTSB preliminary report says
The pilot told investigators he took off from runway 9 at Boonville Airport (I91) and soon came back for a low approach to runway 27. He flew in ground effect to the west end of the runway, climbed, and flew what the report calls an “impossible turn,” gliding back toward runway 9.
On short final for runway 9 he added full power and made a climbing right turn onto a left downwind for runway 27, followed by a descending 180-degree turn to final. The NTSB says that approach was steep and carried the airplane down the runway.
He held the Cub in ground effect with minimal throttle until about two-thirds of the way along the runway, then applied full throttle and stayed low as the airspeed built. At the departure end of runway 27, still at low altitude, the airplane hit a car heading north on South Baker Road, which runs along the airport’s west edge.
The pilot said he did not see the car until it was in front of him, citing tall weeds, tree shadows on the road and the car’s dark color. He tried to pull up but could not avoid it, and he estimated the airplane was doing about 70 mph (113 km/h) at impact.
The Cub kept flying with its left main landing gear torn off. According to the report, the pilot circled the airport for about two hours before landing on runway 9.
The car was struck on its right side. The front-seat passenger was taken to hospital with serious injuries and later died; the NTSB records the death as a ground fatality.
The victim and the first reports
The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office identified the passenger as Leon Hatchett, 88, WEHT reported. He was treated at Deaconess Midtown and died on the morning of Thursday, October 22.
The first accounts on the day were different: according to the Warrick County Sheriff, the call came in as equipment falling off a crop duster in flight, and WEHT reported an emergency landing just after 5 p.m. That timing fits the two hours of circling in the NTSB account.
The airplane, the field and the open questions
FAA registry records show N88218 is a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub, the J3C-65 version with a Continental A65-series engine, registered to an individual in Warrick County. The flight was a Part 91 personal flight, and the pilot reported no mechanical problems before the impact.
Boonville Airport is a city-owned public field with a single turf runway, 9/27, measuring 2,300 by 100 feet (701 by 30 m). The weather was clear, with 10 miles of visibility and a light southerly wind at Evansville Regional, 9 nautical miles away.
The “impossible turn” the report names is pilots’ shorthand for turning back to the runway after an engine failure soon after takeoff, and an FAA Safety Team training aid warns that a turn at low altitude and airspeed can set up a stall or spin, and advises practicing it only at a safe height. The report does not say why the pilot flew it at Boonville.
Federal rule 14 CFR 91.119 sets minimum altitudes for flight and exempts what is necessary for takeoff or landing. The preliminary report gives no altitude for the low passes and draws no conclusion on that rule or on the cause.
A preliminary report, not a cause
The NTSB’s preliminary report sets out facts gathered so far, largely from the pilot’s own account, and is subject to change. It assigns no probable cause. This is a Class 3 investigation, and the NTSB did not travel to the scene.
The FAA and Piper are participating in the investigation. The NTSB says it generally aims to finish investigations in 12 to 24 months, and the final report will state the probable cause.
The report follows the NTSB’s preliminary account of how Super Cub N9128D hit a bush in Alaska’s Wrangell Mountains.
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.
- NTSB, Aviation Investigation Preliminary Report CEN27LA021, Piper J3C-65 N88218, Boonville, IN
- FAA, Aircraft registry: N88218
- FAA Safety Team, Aircraft Control After Engine Failure on Takeoff (GAJSC training aid, January 2016)
- NTSB, The Investigative Process
- Cornell LII, 14 CFR 91.119 Minimum safe altitudes: General
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About the Author
AeroCorner News is the aviation news desk of AeroCorner.com. It covers accidents and incidents, safety rulings, airline and airport disruption, and new aircraft. It works from primary sources such as the NTSB, FAA, EASA and the manufacturers' own announcements.