Cessna 177 accident near Wonder Lake, Illinois, October 8, 1983
On October 8, 1983 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N30168, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wonder Lake, Illinois (Galt airport). 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).
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
- October 8, 1983 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Wonder Lake, Illinois · Galt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N30168 · registry record · serial 17701095
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT VEERED OFF THE RWY AND INTO A FENCE DURING A CROSSWIND LANDING. THE LANDING WAS ON RWY 9 AND THE WIND WAS FROM 021 DEGREES AT 5 KTS GUSTING TO 22 KTS. THE PILOT HAD APPLIED POWER FOR A GO-AROUND BUT NOT IN TIME TO PREVENT THE TOUCHDOWN. THEN THE ACFT VEERED LEFT AND COLLIDED WITH THE FENCE.
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: 149 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 92 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,488 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 17, 1983; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DPA Chicago IL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 9, 2,642 ft by 36 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 021° at 5 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from ORD, 20 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.
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.