North American Navion accident near Colona, Illinois, June 25, 2007
On June 25, 2007 at about 1:10 pm local time, a North American Navion, registered N8804H, was destroyed in an accident near Colona, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-instrument rated pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2007 · about 1:10 pm local time
- Place
- Colona, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- North American Navion · all Navions on the register
- Registration
- N8804H · no longer on the register · serial NAV-4-804
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted terrain following a descent in a right turn through instrument meteorological conditions. The left and right seated airplane occupants were both non-instrument rated private pilots. An examination of the wreckage revealed no pre-impact anomalies which would have precluded normal airplane operations. The left seat pilot was at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is strongly associated with obesity and high blood pressure requiring multiple medications. Obstructive sleep apnea, if present and untreated, results in significant impairment and increased accident risk. The actual presence or possible role of possible OSA in this accident could not be conclusively determined, though such a disorder could have adversely affected the left seat pilot’s decision-making regarding initiating or continuing flight into deteriorating visibility and/or his responses to such conditions once he encountered them. The left seat pilot did not have a current medical certificate.
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: 224 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Crew member
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 436 hours in all; 197 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental E-225-4 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALO Waterloo IA
- Destination: 27K Georgetown KY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from MLI, 9 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.