Cessna 172PC accident near Jerseyville, Illinois, September 9, 1987
On September 9, 1987 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 172PC, registered N5343K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jerseyville, Illinois (Jerseyville Arpt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- September 9, 1987 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Jerseyville, Illinois · Jerseyville Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172PC · all 172PCs on the register
- Registration
- N5343K · no longer on the register · serial 17274073
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE RETURNING FROM A LOCAL FLIGHT. IT HAD BECOME DARK DURING THEIR FLIGHT AND AS THE PILOT WAS APPROACHING TO LAND ON RUNWAY 36 THE LANDING GEAR OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A DRAINAGE DITCH APPROXIMATELY 2-3 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SLID APPROXIMATELY 6-10 FEET BEFORE STOPPING. PILOT'S FIRST NIGHT FLIGHT AS PILOT-IN-COMMAND.
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: 79 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 27 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,156 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0K5 Jerseyville IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,550 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.