Cessna 182P accident near Kewanee, Illinois, November 23, 2009
On November 23, 2009 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N1986M, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Kewanee, Illinois (Kewanee Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to initiate a visual night flight without recent night flight experience and his failure to maintain altitude during departure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 2009 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kewanee, Illinois · Kewanee Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N1986M · no longer on the register · serial 18264515
- 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 on the inbound flight he had to divert to an alternate airport due to adverse weather at his intended destination. After picking up a passenger he departed the alternate airport to the east and the airplane crashed into a farm field about 0.5 miles south of the airport on a westerly heading. The pilot reported that the sky was clear and visibility was 3 to 4 miles. Weather reports for nearby airports listed visibilities between 3 and 5 miles. The flight was initiated and the accident occurred at night. The pilot's most recent night flight was more than 2 years before the accident flight. The recent flight experience requirements of 14 Code of Federal Regulations 61.57 state that, in order to act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers during night flight, the pilot must have made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed no preimpact defects with regard to the airplane, its engine, or control system.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent experience › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,269 hours in all; 780 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,223 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 2, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,735 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2009
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EZI Kewanee IL at 11:30 pm
- Destination: 03D Memphis MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 4,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:25 pm from GBG, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.