Cessna 172N accident near Hoopeston, Illinois, October 13, 1984
On October 13, 1984, a Cessna 172N, registered N734ML, was destroyed in an accident near Hoopeston, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- October 13, 1984
- Place
- Hoopeston, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734ML · no longer on the register · serial 17268960
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT LANDED SHORT OF DESTINATION & REPORTED TO FSS THAT HE DID SO BECAUSE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA. AFTER RECEIVING A WX BRIEFING THE NON-INST PLT CANCELLED HIS VFR FLT PLAN. ONE HOUR LATER THE PLT CALLED FSS & WAS RE-BRIEFED ON THE WX. THE WX AT HIS DESTINATION, 55 MI TO THE EAST, WAS VFR. THE PLT RE-FILED HIS FLT PLAN & DEPARTED INTO DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS. THE ACFT CRASHED 17.5 MI EAST OF HIS DEPARTURE POINT. LOCAL RESIDENTS REPORTED HEAVY RAIN IN THE AREA. THE 52 HR TOTAL TIME PLT CRASHED IN A DESCENDING RT TURN IN AN OPEN FIELD. THIS WAS THE PLT'S FIRST SOLO FLT IN THIS MAKE/MODEL ACFT.
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: 52 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 31 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,780 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 11, 1984; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Emporia Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: 1C1 Paxton IL
- Destination: LAF Lafayette IN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.