Piper PA-46-310P accident near Evanston, Illinois, December 12, 1985
On December 12, 1985 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-310P, registered N4380A, was destroyed in an accident near Evanston, Illinois. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- December 12, 1985 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Evanston, Illinois
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-310P · all PA-46-310Ps on the register
- Registration
- N4380A · registry record · serial 468508016
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON CLIMBOUT ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN IN VMC CONDITIONS WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. A RESTART WAS ATTEMPTED AND THE ENGINE RAN FOR A MINUTE OR LESS. SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OVER LAKE MICHIGAN AND HAD INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO REACH THE SHORELINE. A SUCCESSFUL WATER LANDING WAS MADE AND THE OCCUPANTS WERE PICKED UP BY THE COAST GUARD UNHARMED. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT HAD FRACTURED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,890 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 1,801 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 478 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 13, 1985; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-BE (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DPA West Chicago IL at 3:05 pm
- Destination: 7D2 Troy MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm from NBU, 10 miles away
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.