Amateur-built CHRISTAVIA MK 1 accident near Grand Detour, Illinois, January 20, 2018
On January 20, 2018 at about 6:33 pm local time, a 2009 amateur-built CHRISTAVIA MK 1, registered N746LM, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Grand Detour, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to see and avoid the power line. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s intentional flight at low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 2018 · about 6:33 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Detour, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHRISTAVIA MK 1 NO SERIES, built 2009
- Registration
- N746LM · no longer on the register · serial 015
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was flying an experimental airplane at a low altitude along a river when the airplane struck a power line suspended 30 ft above the river, causing the airplane to cartwheel. The power line wrapped around the airplane, and the airplane descended straight down, impacting the ice-covered river. A postaccident examination of the airplane showed that the fuselage forward of the instrument panel, the engine cowling, and the engine were bent upward about 30°. The forward fuel tank between the cabin and the engine had broken open, and the smell of fuel was apparent. The airplane's propeller showed indications that the engine was producing high power when the airplane struck the power line. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the engine and other airplane systems showed no preimpact anomalies. Thus, the accident likely occurred because the pilot did not see the power line suspended across the river while he was flying close to the river surface.
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 maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on operation
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 850 hours in all; 2 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C77 Poplar Grove IL
- Destination: C77 Poplar Grove IL
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 23,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from RFD, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on March 19, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memorandum of Conversation Nate Hiller | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Conversation Sue Van Oosten | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Bill Radunz E-mail Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector's Statements | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Memorandum of Conversation Jeff Lewis | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Maps of the Accident Area | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Illinois State Police Aircraft Accident Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Illinois State Police Field Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Photographs | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 11 | 6120.1 Letter to the Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.