Cessna 172 accident near Sweetwater, Illinois, September 8, 1985
On September 8, 1985 at about 2:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6236E, was destroyed in an accident near Sweetwater, Illinois. 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
- September 8, 1985 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Sweetwater, Illinois
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6236E · no longer on the register · serial 46336
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AT LOW ALT PARALLEL TO A HIWAY BEFORE COLLIDING WITH A TREE BEFORE IMPACTING THE GROUND. THE PLTS WIFE SAID THAT THE PLT HAD BEEN UNDER EXTREME STRESS FOR A FEW MONTHS AND HAD NOT BEEN TO BED FOR 2 DAYS PRECEDING THE ACCIDENT. SHE ALSO SAID THAT HE MAY HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP BEFORE THE CRASH AS HE WAS KNOWN TO FALL ASLEEP SUDDENLY WHEN HE HAD BEEN WITHOUT SLEEP FOR SEVERAL DAYS. NO ACFT MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUND. TOXICOLOGY REPORTS ON THE PLT INDICATED THAT EVIDENCE OF COCAINE WAS FOUND IN THE URINE AND VALIUM WAS FOUND IN THE BLOOD.
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: student
- Flight time: 67 hours in all; 67 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,090 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPI Springfield IL at 11:55 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 10:15 am
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.