Beech 58 accident near Wedron, Illinois, December 18, 1987
On December 18, 1987 at about 6:30 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N3702K, was destroyed in an accident near Wedron, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. 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 18, 1987 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Wedron, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N3702K · no longer on the register · serial TH-1188
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES AND DESCENDED UNCONTROLLED INTO A RIVER WHILE ATTEMPTING A NIGHT FORCED LANDING AFTER RUNNING OUT OF FUEL DURING A CARGO FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND UNDER WATER ON THE FIFTH DAY OF A SEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE CAP AFTER TWO BOYS FOUND DEBRIS FROM THE AIRPLANE ON THE RIVER BANK.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,260 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1987; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-CB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKC Kansas City MO at 6:30 am
- Destination: MDW Chicago IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.