Cessna 152 accident near Vergenns, Illinois, December 5, 1986
On December 5, 1986 at about 6:49 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N95614, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vergenns, Illinois. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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 5, 1986 · about 6:49 pm local time
- Place
- Vergenns, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N95614 · no longer on the register · serial 15285937
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT PILOT, WHILE PRACTICING EMERGENCY LANDINGS, HE DESCENDED TO ABOUT 250 FEET AGL AND THEN SURRENDERED THE CONTROLS TO THE INSTRUCTOR. THE STUDENT PILOT STATED THAT THE INSTRUCTOR IMMEDIATELY ADDED FULL POWER AND BANKED THE ACFT TO THE LEFT, HOWEVER, THE ACFT THEN COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. THE INSTRUCTOR STATED THAT HE HAD NO MEMORY OF THE ACCIDENT OR THE EVENTS PRIOR TO THE COLLISION WITH TERRAIN.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 742 hours in all; 604 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days; 539 as pilot in command; 227 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,343 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 1986; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southern Illinois University
The flight
- Departed from: MDH Carbondale IL at 6:30 pm
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:32 pm from MDH, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.