Cessna 172 accident near Colchester, Illinois, May 15, 2020
On May 15, 2020 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 172, registered N92036, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Colchester, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight of the fuel quantity which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2020 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Colchester, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 M, built 1973 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N92036 · no longer on the register · serial 17261541
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that he checked the fuel tanks prior to takeoff. It was dark in the hangar where he used a wire to check the fuel level in the fuel tanks. He was not wearing his glasses and he thought he had "an inch or so" of fuel. The pilot thought that was enough fuel and departed on a cross country flight. During the flight, the engine "sputtered" and lost power. The pilot turned the airplane towards the destination airport but lost airspeed, so he lowered the airplane's nose and conducted a forced landing into the trees below. A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial empennage, fuselage, and wing damage. The fuel tanks were empty and there was no fuel odor anywhere at the accident scene. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction/failure of the airplane during the flight.
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
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Fuel starvation during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 942 hours in all; 942 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,948 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IL84 Colusa IL at 8:45 pm
- Destination: MQB Macomb IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from KMQB, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 5, 2020. 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 for Record – Pilot -- J Nixon | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record – Communication Summary -- Inspector K Krongos | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 5 pages | 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.