Piper PA-28 accident near Harrisburg, Illinois, May 21, 1982
On May 21, 1982 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28, registered N2314F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Harrisburg, 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 visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 1982 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Harrisburg, Illinois
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28 · all PA-28s on the register
- Registration
- N2314F · registry record · serial PA-28-180
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A WEATHER BRIEFING, THE PILOT WAS ADVISED THAT THERE WERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA OF HIS DESTINATION AT ABOUT 1415 CDT, HE DEPARTED FOR A TWO HOUR FLIGHT. AFTER FLYING OVER WEATHER MOST OF THE WAY AND OVERFLYING AN AIRPORT (HULMAN REGIONAL), HE CONTINUED ON WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT FORCED COURSE AND ALTITUDE DEVIATIONS TO REMAIN VFR. THE PILOT STATED THAT BOTH RADIOS AND ONE VOR/ILS BECAME INOPERATIVE AT ABOUT 1550 CDT. A SHORT TIME LATER, HE SAW WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS AN AIRPORT, BUT WAS ACTUALLY A DRAG STRIP WITH OBSTRUCTIONS. HE ELECTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. WHILE LANDING BETWEEN PYLONS AND LIGHT POLES, THE PILOT DID NOT SEE A DRAG STRIP TIMER THAT WAS MOUNTED ON A 4 FT POLE AND WAS IN HIS LANDING PATHWAY. THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE TIMER POLE, THEN VEERED AND COLLIDED WITH A LIGHT POLE.
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
What happened, in order
- IN FLIGHT ENCOUNTER WITH WEATHER during cruise - normal
- ON GROUND/WATER COLLISION WITH OBJECT during landing - roll
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, none, APLN
- Flight time: 4,584 hours in all; 282 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,730 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 2
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,157 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Danville IL
- Destination: Elizabethtown KY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scattered at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 176°C, dew point 0°C
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N2314F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CHI82DA180.