Cessna 170B accident near Chicago(L.Mich), Illinois, July 25, 1985
On July 25, 1985, a Cessna 170B, registered N3160B, was destroyed in an accident near Chicago(L.Mich), Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 25, 1985
- Place
- Chicago(L.Mich), Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3160B · no longer on the register · serial 25402
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT AN UNKNOWN TIME DURING THE NIGHT OF JULY 25/26 THE ACFT CRASHED INTO LAKE MICHIGAN. EXACT WX CONDITIONS ARE UNKNOWN. THE PASSENGER WAS RECOVERED FROM THE LAKE THE NEXT MORNING, ALONG WITH THE TWO CRUSHED FRONT SEATS AND TWO BUCKLED INTERIOR SIDE PANELS. THE PLT WAS RECOVERED FROM THE LAKE ELEVEN DAYS LATER. BOTH INDIVIDUALS SUCCUMBED TO MULTIPLE TRAUMATIC INJURIES. THE ACFT WAS NOT RECOVERED.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,880 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N54 Langhorne PA
- Destination: C81 Grayslake IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:50 pm from MDW
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.