- Date
- September 8, 1985, 09:55 local (14:55 UTC)
- Place
- Sweetwater, IL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6236ECessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850908043519A
- Case key
- 12897
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 acft was observed flying at low alt parallel to a hiway before colliding with a tree before impacting the ground. The plts wife said that the plt had been under extreme stress for a few months and had not been to bed for 2 days preceding the accident. She also said that he may have fallen asleep before the crash as he was known to fall asleep suddenly when he had been without sleep for several days. No acft malfunctions were found. Toxicology reports on the plt indicated that evidence of cocaine was found in the urine and valium was found in the blood.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6236E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46336
- Airframe hours
- 2,090
- Engine
- Continental O-300-B, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Nancy L. Brooks
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1985
- Departed
- SPI · Springfield, IL
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
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 67 total · 67 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.