Cessna 340R accident near Galesburg, Illinois, February 5, 1986
On February 5, 1986 at about 4:11 pm local time, a Cessna 340R, registered N3849G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Galesburg, Illinois (Galesburg Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- February 5, 1986 · about 4:11 pm local time
- Place
- Galesburg, Illinois · Galesburg Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340R · all 340Rs on the register
- Registration
- N3849G · no longer on the register · serial 340A0207
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS DIVERTING INTO GALESBURG DUE TO BAD WEATHER AT HIS ORIGINAL DESTINATION. FOLLOWING AN ILS APPROACH AT GALESBURG HE SPOTTED THE RUNWAY AT '200 FT PLUS' OFF TO HIS RIGHT. HE THEN 'SIDE-STEPPED' TO THE RIGHT BUT TOUCHED DOWN IN A CRABBED ANGLE. HE THEN ATTEMPTED TO GO AROUND BUT AS HE WAS APPLYING POWER THE AIRCRAFT WAS SETTLING TO THE RUNWAY ON COLLAPSED LANDING GEAR.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DPA West Chicago IL at 2:13 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2, 5,793 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from GBG, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.