Cessna 172A accident near Roselle, Illinois, February 20, 1982
On February 20, 1982, a Cessna 172A, registered N210GL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Roselle, 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 conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 1982
- Place
- Roselle, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172A · all 172As on the register
- Registration
- N210GL · no longer on the register · serial 469L9
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT NOTED A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER. HE TURNED BACK TOWARD THE AIRPORT AND TURNED THE CARBURETOR HEAT ON; HOWEVER, THE CARBURETOR HEAT DID NOT SEEM TO HELP. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS SWITCHED FROM BOTH TANKS TO THE RIGHT TANK, AND THIS DID NOT HELP. THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE AND ENGINE POWER TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A FIELD COVERED WITH SNOW. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE FIELD APPEARED TO BE FLAT AND LIGHTLY COVERED WITH SNOW; HOWEVER, THERE WAS A RUT IN THE FIELD ABOUT 30 TO 36 INCHES DEEP. THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED DEEP SNOW, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, AND THE PLANE FLIPPED OVER. THE PILOT SUSPECTED POSSIBLE CARBURETOR ICE; HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT VERIFIED. NO PRE-IMPACT, MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS REPORTED.
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: 120 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 77 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,877 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Great Lakes Pilots Club INC
The flight
- Departed from: Roselle IL at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 1C5 Plainfield IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 11 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from DPA, 8 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.
Other NTSB records under N210GL the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.