- Date
- September 19, 1987, 23:15 local (Sep 20, 1987, 04:15 UTC)
- Place
- Grayslake, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8315SPiper PA-28RT-201T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870920055119A
- Case key
- 13831
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 aircraft landed off the right side of the runway on a dark night when the pilot was unable to identify the intended landing runway. The aircraft landed in soft turf and during subsequent loss of control, turned right and nosed down into a ravine. The pilot stated that there were only three runway lights illuminated and that his landing light did not help in finding the runway. He also stated that his decision making process was degraded as a result of fatigue and stress created when he initially spent about half an hour trying to locate the airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8315S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201T (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-8131044
- Engine
- Continental TSI0-360-FB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cardinal Aircraft
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 3, 1987
- Departed
- BMG · Bloomington, IN
- Destination
- C81 · Grayslake, IL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- C81 · Campbell Airport, runway 27, 3,250 × 40 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
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 709 total · 265 in this make and model · 658 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORD, 17 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.
Other investigations on N8315S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.