Piper PA-22-108 accident near Bloomington, Illinois, August 4, 1984
On August 4, 1984 at about 2:15 am local time, a Piper PA-22-108, registered N5881Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bloomington, Illinois (Bloomington airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- August 4, 1984 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Bloomington, Illinois · Bloomington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-108 · all PA-22-108s on the register
- Registration
- N5881Z · registry record · serial 229744
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT DEPARTED ON LOCAL FLT SHORTLY BEFORE THE TWR CLOSED. PLT RECALLED FINAL TWR TRANSMISSION INCLUDED ALTIMETER SETTING WHICH WAS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE ON HIS INSTRUMENT. ON RETURN TO THE ARPT, 35 MINS AFTER DEPARTURE, FOG AND HAZE HAD REDUCED VISIBILITY TO ABOUT 2 MILES. ON TURN TO FINAL, ACFT DESCENDED ABOUT 400 FT BELOW NORMAL APPROACH PATH. LANDING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED PWR LINES AHEAD. PLT FELT THAT AN EVASIVE PULL-UP MANEUVER WOULD NOT ALLOW CLEARANCE SO POWER WAS ADDED AND ATTEMPT MADE TO FLY UNDER THE LINES WITHOUT A VISUAL GROUND REFERENCE. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A CORN FIELD.
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; 27 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,869 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 13, 1983; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-01 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 am from BMI, 2 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.