Cessna C-182 accident near Fox Lake, Illinois, July 17, 2009
On July 17, 2009 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna C-182, registered N7482Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Fox Lake, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate flight planning and continued flight into adverse weather resulting in the collision with the pier during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2009 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fox Lake, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-182
- Registration
- N7482Q · no longer on the register · serial 18261122
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was moving his float-equipped airplane from his pier to the other side of the lake in order to dock at his friend’s pier temporarily. He decided to fly it to the other side of the lake instead of performing a water taxi. He departed into the wind, and during climbout, he encountered heavy rain showers which obscured his forward visibility out the windshield. He executed a downwind landing to the lake by looking out the side window. He reported that during the landing, he could not slow the airplane down enough to avoid hitting a pier. The airplane sustained structural damage to the fuselage.
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
- Other weather encounter during initial climb
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Rain › Response/compensation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 295 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Fox Lake IL
- Destination: Fox Lake IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 25 knots, gusting 30
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.