Amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG-1 accident near Paxton, Illinois, July 30, 1985
On July 30, 1985 at about 8:45 pm local time, a amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG-1, registered N28LS, was destroyed in an accident near Paxton, Illinois (Paxton Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- July 30, 1985 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Paxton, Illinois · Paxton Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG-1 MIDGET MUS
- Registration
- N28LS · registry record · serial LSI
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT PITCHED UP AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL AFTER TAKEOFF. AFTER A RT & LEFT TURN THE ACFT PITCHED DOWN AND STRUCK THE GROUND LEFT WING DOWN AT ABOUT A 30 DEGREE ANGLE. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND TO INDICATE A FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR COMPONENTS. PRESCRIPTION DRUGS WERE FOUND TO HAVE BEEN PRESCRIBED FOR THE PLT WHICH SHOULD HAVE SUSPENDED AIR FLYING DURING THE PERIOD OF TAKING THE MEDICATION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 11,688 hours in all; 23 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 11,688 as pilot in command; 3,048 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 29 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1984; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 942 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LOU Louisville KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from CMI, 30 miles away
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.