Boeing A75N1 accident near Ellisville, Illinois, September 7, 2005
On September 7, 2005 at about 1:10 pm local time, a Boeing A75N1, registered N52551, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ellisville, 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 loss of engine power due to the failure of the number four connecting rod. A factor to the accident was the soybean crop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 2005 · about 1:10 pm local time
- Place
- Ellisville, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing A75N1 · all A75N1s on the register
- Registration
- N52551 · registry record · serial 75-1707
- 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 forced landing after a loss of engine power during cruise flight. The pilot reported that he heard a "real loud bang" and the airplane began "shaking with [unbalanced] engine." The pilot stated that he secured the engine, and performed a forced landing into a soybean field. The pilot reported that the soybean plants wrapped around the main landing gear, causing the airplane to nose over. A post-accident inspection of the engine revealed that the number four connecting rod had fractured.
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: 2,800 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,273 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670-6N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GBG Galesburg IL at 12:45 pm
- Destination: 3LF Litchfield IL
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 1:05 pm from MQB, 17 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.