Beech UC-45J accident near Urbana, Illinois, April 29, 2000
On April 29, 2000 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Beech UC-45J, registered N3482, was substantially damaged in an accident near Urbana, Illinois (Day Aero Place Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot not maintaining directional control on the ground and the abrupt brake application during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 2000 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Urbana, Illinois · Day Aero Place Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech UC-45J · all UC-45Js on the register
- Registration
- N3482 · no longer on the register · serial 029659
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he performed three-point touchdown, landing to the east on a grass airstrip. He said, '... as we landed, the tail wanted to come up, so I pulled the stick all the way back and held it back ... while I was reaching to lift the flaps off.' The pilot said that before he got the flaps retracted, he noticed the tail was coming up again. He ensured that the power was off and his feet were off the brakes. 'The airplane came up on its nose. We were almost stopped before we flipped on our back over the nose.' The pilot said that when he later returned to the airplane, he noticed the 'T-handle brake lever was 3/4 engaged.' Examination of the airplane revealed heavy longitudinally running grass rubbing on both tires. The brake discs were free and the wheels rotated freely. An examination of the field showed a pair of parallel-running tire marks moving toward the north side of the landing strip, and 11 succeeding slashes in the ground running perpendicular to the parallel tire tracks on the airplane's left side. An examination of the remaining airplane systems revealed no anomalies. Wind conditions, reported 14 minutes after the accident, were 010 degrees at 7 knots.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 700 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 23, 2000; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,630 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R985AN-14-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2I5 Rantoul IL at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:29 pm from CMI, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CHI00LA126.