Cessna 172 accident near Rockford, Illinois, January 24, 1983
On January 24, 1983 at about 1:27 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N61558, was destroyed in an accident near Rockford, Illinois (Rockford airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- January 24, 1983 · about 1:27 am local time
- Place
- Rockford, Illinois · Rockford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N61558 · no longer on the register · serial 17264639
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED INTO THE 2ND FLOOR OF A BUILDING WHILE MAKING AN ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 36 AT ROCKFORD, IL. THE WEATHER WAS IMC. AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. A PILOT WEATHER BRIEFING WAS NOT GIVEN. THE PILOT WAS INSTRUMENT RATED. AN APPROACH WAS ATTEMPTED AT JANESVILLE BUT THE LOCALIZER WAS INOPERATIVE AND THE APPROACH WAS DISCONTINUED. THE ACFT WAS THEN VECTORED TO ROCKFORD BUT DURING THE APPROACH WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE BECAUSE OF AIRFRAME ICING. THE ACFT DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR ONE HALF MILE FROM THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED IN 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 999 hours in all; 744 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 898 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,357 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1982; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IWD Ironwood MI at 9:56 pm
- Destination: RFD Rockford IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 8,199 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Sky: not recorded at 100 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:19 am from RFD
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.