- Date
- August 7, 1990, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Minonk, IL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N535CGPietenpol AIR Camper
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900807030909A
- Case key
- 14503
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's inattention to visual lookout.
Analysis
The pilot flew past a road-grading crew level about 30 feet above ground. The road crew waved and remarked the pilot continued to look at them until just prior to colliding with a utility pole.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N535CG
- Reported as
- Pietenpol AIR Camper
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 535
- Engine
- Ford RC58838, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gerdes, Chester E.
- Registered owner
- Chester E Gerdes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 6, 1989
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIA, 32 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.