Cessna 175 accident near Tuscola, Illinois, March 27, 1982
On March 27, 1982 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna 175, registered N7452M, was destroyed in an accident near Tuscola, Illinois (Tuscola Airport). 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 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
- March 27, 1982 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Tuscola, Illinois · Tuscola Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N7452M · no longer on the register · serial 55752
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A LANDING WAS MADE ON RUNWAY 27 JUST PRIOR TO SUNSET. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE REALIZED HE WAS NOT SLOWING FAST ENOUGH, BUT DUE TO THE LOW ALTITUDE OF THE SETTING SUN, HE MISJUDGED THE LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY. HE INITIATED A GO-AROUND, BUT DID NOT OBTAIN FLYING SPEED. THE AIRCRAFT RAN OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY ONTO A SOFT, PLOWED FIELD AND OVERTURNED. PRIOR TO THIS ACCIDENT, THE PILOT HAD MADE ONE LANDING SINCE AUGUST 1981.
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: 100 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 37 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,900 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Atwood IL at 5:05 pm
- Destination: Firebaugh CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,660 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- 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.