Piper PA-32-300 accident near Frankfort, Illinois, March 27, 1987
On March 27, 1987 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N452BH, was destroyed in an accident near Frankfort, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- March 27, 1987 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Frankfort, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N452BH · no longer on the register · serial 7440068
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT CONTROL WAS LOST AS THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO DESCEND TO HIS ASSIGNED ALTITUDE OF 5000 FEET FROM EXCESSIVE CLIMB. HE WAS IN IFR CONDITIONS AT THE TIME. THE AIRFRAME BROKE APART, EMPENNAGE FIRST, DURING THE UNCONTROLLED DESCENT TO THE GROUND DUE TO HIGH SPEED STRUCTURAL OVERLOAD. THE PILOT HAD JUST RECEIVED HIS INSTRUMENT RATING AND HAD APPROX TWO TENTHS OF AN HOUR OF UNSUPERVISED INSTRUMENT TIME ALL OF WHICH WAS ACCOMPLISHED ON THIS LAST FLIGHT. A WITNESS SAW THE ACFT FALL OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE OVERCAST. THE PLT THOUGHT HIS ASSIGNED ALTITUDE WAS 6000 FEET AND HAD TO BE ADVISED OF TRAFFIC AT 6000 FEET BY ATC. THE PLT RADIOED THAT HE FILED FOR 6000 FT BUT WOULD GO TO FIVE. THIS WAS THE LAST RADIO CONTACT BEFORE THE RADAR CONTACT WENT TO COAST MODE.
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: 810 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 517 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1986; 114 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MDW Chicago IL at 5:18 pm
- Destination: IKK Kankakee IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from MDW, 20 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.