- Date
- October 1, 1982, 20:30 local (Oct 2, 1982, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Romeoville, IL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4434APiper PA-22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 1, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821001052469A
- Case key
- 72422
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot flew over the airport at night, saw the runway lights and entered the traffic pattern for landing. On final approach, he saw a rotating beacon and thought an aircraft was holding short of the runway. As he continued on final, he saw that the beacon was on a vehicle. The pilot reported that he was distracted and started to go around. However, he stated that he "flew down a little way", then decided to land. The pilot reported that the aircraft touched down on turf on the left side of the runway, then flipped over. The plane came to rest in a trench that ran parallel and next to the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4434A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-3763
- Airframe hours
- 1,835
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Russell A. Spenger
- Registered owner
- Russell A. Spenger
- Departed
- O6C · Schaumburs, IL
- Destination
- JHW · Jamestown, NY
- Airport
- LOT · Romeoville, runway 9, 3,000 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 446 total · 290 in this make and model · 243 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 133 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.