Cessna 172N accident near Bethalto, Illinois, November 17, 1986
On November 17, 1986 at about 4:18 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N1631E, was destroyed in an accident near Bethalto, Illinois (Alton St Louis Regional airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- November 17, 1986 · about 4:18 pm local time
- Place
- Bethalto, Illinois · Alton St Louis Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N1631E · registry record · serial 17271073
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ATTEMPTED AN ILS APPROACH INTO AN AIRFIELD (RUNWAY 29) THAT WAS REPORTING A ZERO FOOT OBSCURED CEILING WITH 1/16 MILE VISIBILTIY AND FOG. HE STATED THAT HE BECAME CONFUSED DURING THE LAST PORTION OF THE APPROACH AND WAS BEGINNING A MISSED APPROACH WHEN THE ACFT STRUCK A TREE AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE IMPACT OCCURRED 1/2 MILE SOUTH OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 29.
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: 755 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,170 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ASW Warsaw IN at 1:55 pm
- Destination: LTD Litchfield IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29, 6,497 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from ALN, 2 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.