Cessna 172H accident near Centralia, Illinois, February 21, 2001
On February 21, 2001 at about 1:05 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N733SS, was destroyed in an accident near Centralia, Illinois (Centralia Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot allowed the airspeed to get too low and inadvertently stalled the airplane, and the CFI delayed in taking remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 2001 · about 1:05 pm local time
- Place
- Centralia, Illinois · Centralia Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N733SS · no longer on the register · serial 17268518
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain 1.2 miles from the airport on a magnetic bearing of 003 degrees from the approach end of runway 18. The CFI weighed approximately 149 pounds and the student pilot weighed approximately 310 pounds. A witness reported seeing the airplane traveling toward him from west to east. He reported hearing the airplane's engine initially, and that the engine was at a low power setting. He reported the airplane was low, about 500 feet, and the airspeed was slow. The airplane was in a steep angle of bank and in a turn to the right. He reported the airplane was in "...a kind of a climb in a bank." After 270 degrees of turn, the airplane flipped over on its back and became inverted. The nose of the airplane then went down. He reported the nose of the airplane started coming up and the airplane looked like it was going to recover when he lost sight of the airplane behind a tree line. He reported hearing the airplane's engine revving to full power before hearing it impact the terrain. An examination of the airplane's system revealed no anomalies.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,504 hours in all; 112 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,321 as pilot in command; 1,861 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 13, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 55 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,563 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 14, 2000; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ENL Centralia IL at 12:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.50 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from MVN, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.