Cessna 177 accident near Benton, Illinois, July 22, 2001
On July 22, 2001 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N235LA, was destroyed in an accident near Benton, Illinois (Benton Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, resulting in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2001 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Benton, Illinois · Benton Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N235LA · no longer on the register · serial 17700297
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed on impact with objects and terrain during initial climb. A post impact on-ground fire occurred. A person representing N235LA called flight service for a weather update between Benton, Illinois (H96), and Terre Haute, Indiana. The person stated he was in H96 and during the brief said, "Yeah, you know it looks much better standing on the ground than flying around in it." the briefer said, "okay, well, that could make a difference because if you're in benton, there's nothing between you and terre haute however if you're a hundred miles, if you're in one hotel two which is uhm, uh, where i have a kind of suspicion you may be ... yeah, and there is a little bit of a thunderstorm west of you about twenty miles, do you see buildups to the west? ... yeah, i have a suspicion you're actually at effingham ... uh, those thunderstorms to the west of you is the only thing even vaguely close to your route of flight." A witness observed the airplane taking off to the north from H96. The witness demonstrated the angle the airplane was climbing at. That angle was about 45 degrees. She stated that she heard what she thought was thunder. She saw smoke and called 911. Two other witnesses stated they heard two loud claps of thunder and saw lightning strike in the vicinity of the airport. They reported that after the second clap of thunder, they saw smoke coming from the boat factory. They said that the whole northern sky was black and they could hear thunder. They stated that they did not see the airplane strike the ground. Rain began falling after the accident occured. An on-scene investigation was conducted and no pre-impact anomalies were found. Subsequent to the accident, the weather briefer was decertified, given additional training, and had been reinstated.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: H96 Benton IL at 11:40 pm
- Destination: ASW Warsaw IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,720 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 11:48 pm from MWA, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.