Cessna 182 accident near Gillespie, Illinois, November 28, 2008
On November 28, 2008 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N44LL, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Gillespie, Illinois (Lindell Loveless Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to take off with a known obstacle on the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 2008 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gillespie, Illinois · Lindell Loveless Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 Q · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N44LL · no longer on the register · serial 182-67355
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that a 6-inch drainage pipe was lying across his private airstrip at the 1,600-foot mark of his 3,800-foot grass airstrip. He did two practice landings and takeoffs to make certain that he could land and takeoff without hitting the drainage pipe. After the second landing, he took three passengers for a flight. He reported that the takeoff was fine and he lifted off the runway 200 - 300 feet from the pipe. He reported that during the landing he did not get the airplane stopped in time and the airplane struck the drainage pipe and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot and the passengers were not injured.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model
- Last flight review: July 2, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Loveless Enterprises
The flight
- Departed from: LL45 Gillespie IL at 8:00 pm
- Destination: LL45 Gillespie IL
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 36
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.