Piper PA-32RT-300 accident near Sandwich, Illinois, July 28, 1984
On July 28, 1984 at about 1:36 pm local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300, registered N36219, was destroyed in an accident near Sandwich, Illinois (Woodlake Laning airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed, 4 people were seriously injured and 3 people 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
- July 28, 1984 · about 1:36 pm local time
- Place
- Sandwich, Illinois · Woodlake Laning · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 4 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300 PA-32RT-30 · all PA-32RT-300s on the register
- Registration
- N36219 · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7885173
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TAKEOFF WITH 7 PASSENGERS IN A SIX PLACE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS 187 LBS OVER GROSS WT AND 1.54 INCHES OUT OF AFT C.G. THE PILOT TOOKOFF DOWNWIND AND COLLIDED WITH TREES AT THE END OF THE RWY. THERE WAS A POST CRASH FIRE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,037 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 929 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,108 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 21, 1984; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,988 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from ARR, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 | 2 |
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.