Cessna R182 accident near Lansing, Illinois, July 22, 2025
On July 22, 2025 at about 9:15 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna R182, registered N737HN, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Lansing, Illinois (Lansing airport). 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 failure to extend the landing gear before landing due to his distraction of other traffic and failure to follow his landing procedures.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2025 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lansing, Illinois · Lansing · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182, built 1979 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N737HN · registry record · serial R18200829
- 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 during landing, he forgot to extend the landing gear and that he landed with the landing gear retracted. Subsequently, the airplane fuselage contacted the runway before it came to rest. He added that he was distracted by a helicopter in the traffic pattern. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The pilot stated the accident might have been prevented if he had followed his landing procedures.
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
- Landing gear not configured during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 401 hours in all; 129 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 275 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,212 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 5, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C512 (piston); 4,213 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,002 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.08 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from KIGQ, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KIGQ 222115Z AUTO 12009KT 10SM CLR 29/17 A3008 RMK AO2 T02920174=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 4, 2025. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN25LA290.