Aircoupe F-1A accident near Greenwood, Illinois, July 30, 2007
On July 30, 2007 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Aircoupe F-1A, registered N3041G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenwood, Illinois (Galt 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 loss of engine power due to carburetor icing, which resulted in the pilot having to perform a forced landing to unsuitable terrain. Factors contributing to the accident were the carburetor icing conditions and the broken carbuerator heat lever.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2007 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Greenwood, Illinois · Galt
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aircoupe F-1A · all F-1As on the register
- Registration
- N3041G · no longer on the register · serial 5741
- 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 was on initial climb out after takeoff at about 1,800 feet msl when the airplane's engine experienced a power loss. The pilot attempted to restore engine power while looking for a place to perform a precautionary landing. The pilot said that the engine seemed to "respond" as he "worked" the carburetor heat and "experimented" with the fuel mixture. While returning to the airport, the airplane lost power again. The pilot attempted a force landing near a school. During the landing attempt, the airplane impacted unsuitable terrain. An examination of the airplane revealed that the carburetor heat lever on the air intake box was broken off. The air intake butterfly could not be moved from the ram air position. The temperature and dew point around the time of the accident were 23 degrees and 19 degrees Celsius respectively. According to the carburetor icing probability chart, the weather conditions produced a moderate risk of carburetor icing at cruise power and a serious risk of carburetor icing at descent power at the time of the accident.
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: 236 hours in all; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 165 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 951.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 10C Greenwood/Wonde IL at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 1:58 pm from BUU, 18 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI07LA240.