- Date
- July 30, 2010, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pittsfield, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N17MXMaule MX-7-180A
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: VFR encounter with IMC
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 7, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Springfield FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100730043209A
- Case key
- 76814
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of directional control during a precautionary off-field landing that he performed after encountering deteriorating weather conditions.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The non-instrument-rated pilot was on a cross-country flight when he encountered deteriorating weather conditions. The pilot was receiving flight following from air traffic control and, after discussing the weather conditions, he advised the controller that he was going to divert to a nearby airport. While en route to the airport, the airplane encountered increasingly lower cloud ceilings and the pilot elected to perform a precautionary off-field landing onto a county road. During the landing rollout the right main landing gear departed the road and the airplane subsequently impacted a ditch alongside the road. The primary fuselage structure and both wings were substantially damaged during the accident. A nearby airport weather observation station reported scattered clouds between 700 and 1,500 feet, an overcast ceiling at 2,100 feet, and a 5-mile ground visibility with drizzle.
Factual narrative
The non-instrument rated pilot was on a cross-country flight when he encountered deteriorating weather conditions. The pilot was receiving flight following from air traffic control, and after discussing the weather conditions he told the controller that he was going to divert to a nearby airport. While en route to the airport, the airplane encountered increasingly lower cloud ceilings and the pilot elected to perform a precautionary off-field landing onto a county road. During the landing rollout the right main landing gear departed the road and the airplane subsequently impacted a ditch alongside the road. The fuselage primary structure and both wings were substantially damaged during the accident. A nearby airport weather observation station reported scattered clouds between 700 and 1,500 feet, an overcast ceiling at 2,100 feet, and a 5 mile ground visibility with drizzle.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N17MX
- Reported as
- Maule MX-7-180A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20043C
- Airframe hours
- 1,821.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C4F, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 3, 2010
- Departed
- KDDC · Dodge City, KS
- Destination
- KSPI · Springfield, IL
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 26, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 391 total · 180 in this make and model · 315 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KPPQ
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 10, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 526 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.