Cessna 172P accident near Grayslake, Illinois, August 29, 1986
On August 29, 1986 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N53700, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grayslake, Illinois (Campbell airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- August 29, 1986 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Grayslake, Illinois · Campbell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N53700 · no longer on the register · serial 17274802
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG CRUISE FLT, THERE WAS A LOSS OF ENG POWER (DECREASING TO 1900 RPM). THE PLT INITIATED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON RWY 27, BUT OVERRAN THE INTENDED LANDING AREA. THE ACFT CONTD BEYOND THE END OF THE RWY & SUBSEQUENTLY FLIPPED OVER IN A CORN FIELD, WEST OF THE ARPT. AN INSPN OF THE CARBURETOR REVEALED UNIDENTIFIABLE FOREIGN MATTER IN THE MAIN METERING JET WHICH WOULD NOT ALLOW THE ENGINE TO OPERATE AT FULL POWER.
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: 139 hours in all; 77 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 93 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,586 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1986; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheeling IL at 11:00 pm
- Destination: 63C Friendship WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,250 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from DPA, 26 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.
Other NTSB records under N53700 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.