Cessna 172K accident near Sullivan, Illinois, July 7, 2006
On July 7, 2006 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N7349G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sullivan, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudged flare and his improper recovery from the bounced landing which led to a loss of directional control and subsequent collision with crops and the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2006 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sullivan, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N7349G · no longer on the register · serial 17259049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged during landing. The pilot reported that on final approach to the runway, he realized that he was high and lowered the flaps from 10 degrees to 20 degrees. He stated that as he flared the airplane, it hit hard and then bounced back into the air. He reported that the airplane then came back down on the nose wheel and then back onto the main landing gear. He stated that the airplane skidded sideways off of the runway and into the corn crop. He reported that the right wing struck the ground during the event stopping the airplane.
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: 170 hours in all; 158 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,863 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MTO Mattoon/Charles IL at 6:15 pm
- Destination: 85IL Sullivan IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.