Cessna 172N accident near Lincoln, Illinois, January 1, 2001
On January 1, 2001 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N737WQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lincoln, Illinois (Lincoln Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control on the runway. Factors relating to this accident were the aborted takeoff attempt, the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision, and the snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 2001 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Lincoln, Illinois · Lincoln Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N737WQ · registry record · serial 17269734
- 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 a normal landing to runway 03 (4000 feet by 75 feet, dry asphalt), at the Lincoln-Logan County Airport, Lincoln, Illinois. He said the airplane settled on the runway approximately 1,000 feet down from the runway threshold. The pilot raised the flaps and applied full power. The airplane lifted, came back down, and veered to the right. The pilot said the airplane plowed into the snow, nosed over, and came to rest upside down. An examination of the airplane 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 106 hours in all; 106 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 37 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 11, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,633.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 3, 2000; 63.8 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: SPI Springfield IL at 11:15 pm
- Destination: 3LC Lincoln IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 9°F (-13°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.52 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from SPI, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.