Piper PA-22 accident near Atwood, Illinois, September 8, 2003
On September 8, 2003, a Piper PA-22, registered N615A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atwood, Illinois. 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 correctly identify the location of the airport. Factors to the accident include the pilot flying while fatigued, which contributed to his misidentification of the runway, and the rough/uneven soybean field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2003
- Place
- Atwood, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22 · all PA-22s on the register
- Registration
- N615A · registry record · serial 22-18
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane nosed over during a landing in a soybean field. The pilot reported he flew a traffic pattern above a soybean field that he mistakenly identified as the grass runway at IL31. The pilot stated he did not realize his mistake until the aircraft contacted the soybean crop just prior to touchdown. The pilot reported that it "was to late to go around so [he] attempted to land." During the landing attempt the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated that the soybean field in which the landing was made was approximately 1/2 mile from the accident location. The pilot stated that he was "fatigued" during the accident flight, which most likely contributed to his misidentification of the landing area. The pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented if he had verified the location of the runway while in the traffic pattern.
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: 95 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 47 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 15, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,283.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 2003; 12.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K96 Tuscola IL at 11:00 pm
- Destination: Atwood IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from CMI, 15 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.