Piper PA-28RT-201T accident near Naperville, Illinois, August 25, 1984
On August 25, 1984 at about 8:57 pm local time, a Piper PA-28RT-201T, registered N8317R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Naperville, Illinois. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person 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
- August 25, 1984 · about 8:57 pm local time
- Place
- Naperville, Illinois
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28RT-201T PA-28RT-20 · all PA-28RT-201Ts on the register
- Registration
- N8317R · registry record · serial 28R-8331010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT STATED ENG HAD BEEN 'RUNNING ROUGH' SINCE 100 HR INSPECTION. ENG HAD 130 HRS TOTAL TIME. ON RUN-UP, ENG WAS MISFIRING UNTIL PLT LEANED MIXTURE AND ALLOWED FULL WARM UP. ENG THEN PERFORMED NORMALLY. TAKEOFF AND CLIMB TO CRUISE UNEVENTFUL. AFTER ABOUT 45 MIN FLT, ENG RPM DROPPED. PLT INITIATED CORRECTIVE PROCEDURES, INCLUDING SWITCHING FUEL TANKS AND RESTORED PWR MOMENTARILY. ENG THEN BEGAN MISFIRING/BACKFIRING. PLT ATTEMPTED CORRECTIVE PROCEDURES BUT ENG LOST TOTAL POWER. PLT EXECUTED FORCED LANDING IN FOOTBALL FIELD. ON POST-MISHAP ENG RUN-UP, ENG PERFORMED NORMALLY.
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: 197 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 72 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 130 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 17, 1984; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-FB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3BB Troy MI at 7:15 pm
- Destination: 06C Schaumburg IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.