- Date
- April 26, 1989, 21:40 local (Apr 27, 1989, 02:40 UTC)
- Place
- Mt. Zion, IL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9637FCessna 208A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890426010049A
- Case key
- 14251
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's intentional flight into known adverse weather. Contributing factors were the pilot's poor evaluation of the weather information given him by the air traffic controllers.
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
Departed marion without a wx briefing. Plt advised during approach that last person making approach reported moderate to severe turbulence on final. Subsequently cleared to land and given wind 360 at 30 gusting 40. Also advised that another aircraft reported a 20KT windshear on final. The pilot reported that when he had descended to 1500 feet MSL, the aircraft encountered strong turbulence and the airspeed went from stall to redline. Despite adjustment to flaps and throttle, the airplane was uncontrollable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9637F
- Reported as
- Cessna 208A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20800120
- Airframe hours
- 742
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-114, 600 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Dupage Airport Authority, doing business as Planemaster Services
- Registered owner
- Cessna Finance Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 27, 1989 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- MWA · Marion, IL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DEC · Decatur, runway 36, 5,300 × 150 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
- 32
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,100 total · 800 in this make and model · 7,000 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 10° at 25 knots, gusting 40
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DEC, 4 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.