# NTSB CHI03LA304: Piper PA-22, N615A, Atwood, IL, September 8, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 7, 2003, 19:00 local (Sep 8, 2003, 00:00 UTC) - Place: Atwood, IL - Coordinates: 39.841667, -88.458335 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8417&lon=-88.4583&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report March 2, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - Springfield FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 57939 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI03LA304 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57939/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA304 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to correctly identify the location of the airport. Factors to the accident include the pilot flying while fatigued, which contributed to his misidentification of the runway, and the rough/uneven soybean field. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - became lost/disoriented, pilot in command (contributing factor) - fatigue, pilot in command (contributing factor) - airport - not identified, pilot in command (cause) - Nose over, landing - terrain condition - crop (contributing factor) - terrain condition - rough/uneven (contributing factor) ## Analysis The airplane nosed over during a landing in a soybean field. The pilot reported he flew a traffic pattern above a soybean field that he mistakenly identified as the grass runway at IL31. The pilot stated he did not realize his mistake until the aircraft contacted the soybean crop just prior to touchdown. The pilot reported that it "was to late to go around so [he] attempted to land." During the landing attempt the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated that the soybean field in which the landing was made was approximately 1/2 mile from the accident location. The pilot stated that he was "fatigued" during the accident flight, which most likely contributed to his misidentification of the landing area. The pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented if he had verified the location of the runway while in the traffic pattern. ## Factual narrative On September 7, 2003, at 1900 central daylight time, a Piper PA-22, N615A, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over while attempting to land in a soybean field near Atwood, Illinois. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and the passenger reported no injuries. The flight departed Tuscola Airport (K96), Tuscola, Illinois, at 1800. According to the pilot's written statement, the intended destination was Cooch Landing Area Airport (IL31), which is a private-use airport near Atwood, Illinois. The pilot reported he flew a traffic pattern above a soybean field that he mistakenly identified as the grass runway at IL31. The pilot stated he did not realize his mistake until the aircraft contacted the soybean crop just prior to touchdown. The pilot reported that it "was to late to go around so [he] attempted to land." During the landing attempt the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated that the soybean field in which the landing was made was approximately 1/2 mile from the accident location. The pilot stated that he was "fatigued" during the accident flight, which most likely contributed to his misidentification of the landing area. The pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented if he had verified the location of the runway while in the traffic pattern. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N615A](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N615A), registered now, S/N 22-18 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-22 - Registry model: [Piper PA-22](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-22) (registry code 7102202) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-290 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (registry code 41506, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 22-18 - Airframe hours: 2283.7 - Engines: Lycoming O-290-D2 135 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, May 17, 2003, 12.9 hours before - Departed: K96, Tuscola, IL - Destination: Atwood, IL ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 53; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review March 15, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 95 total, 28 in this make and model, 47 as pilot in command, 7 in the last 90 days, 3 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 90° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 30.05 inHg - Observed at: CMI, 15 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030907021489A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030907021489A), Sep 7, 2003: Piper PA22, Atwood, IL, Substantial damage. (-23) The airman was attempting to land on a private use grass runway. The airman mistook a soybean field for the runway and stated he was unable to go around… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.