- Date
- March 4, 1985, 18:32 local (Mar 5, 1985, 00:32 UTC)
- Place
- Lacon, IL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3012LPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850304006829A
- Case key
- 13018
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
While on final apch moderate turbulence was experienced. A 200 to 300 foot verticle loss of alt occurred. The plt added pwr and increased the pitch attitude. Before alt could be regained the acft contacted a utility pole. The apch was being made to rwy 18. The nearest wx reporting station, 25 miles away, reported winds from 250 degrees at 22 KTS gusting to 36 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3012L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 327940031
- Airframe hours
- 32,383
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K165, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael J. Marko
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ALN · Alton, IL
- Airport
- C75 · Marshall County, runway 18, 2,200 × 50 ft
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,808 total · 7,424 in this make and model · 7,283 as pilot in command · 723 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 250° at 22 knots, gusting 36
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIA, 25 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.