Piper PA-23-250 accident near Carbondale, Illinois, January 18, 1988
On January 18, 1988 at about 11:39 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N40265, was destroyed in an accident near Carbondale, Illinois (Southern Illinois airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were 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
- January 18, 1988 · about 11:39 pm local time
- Place
- Carbondale, Illinois · Southern Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N40265 · registry record · serial 277305078
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER REPORTING THE OUTER MARKER WHILE EXECUTING AN ILS RUNWAY 18 APPROACH IN ACTUAL INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, THE AIRCRAFT DEVIATED LEFT OF THE LOCALIZER CENTERLINE. AT A POSITION APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE OUTSIDE THE MIDDLE MARKER AND ABOUT 1/4 MILE LEFT OF THE LOCALIZER CENTERLINE, THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED INTO A WOODED AREA ON AN EASTERLY HEADING. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE TREES AND THEN THE TERRAIN IN A SLIGHTLY LEFT BANK AND SLIGHTLY NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. ENGINE EXAMINATION AND TEARDOWN REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTION. A FLIGHT CHECK OF THE ILS RUNWAY 18 WAS PERFORMED THE NEXT DAY AND INDICATED THE SYSTEM WAS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTS DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY MALFUNCTIONS. THE PILOT WAS IN CONTACT WITH ATC AND DID NOT REPORT ANY PROBLEMS BEFORE THE IMPACT OCCURRED. ALL PILOT AND AIRCRAFT RECORDS WERE DESTROYED BY POST-IMPACT FIRE. PILOT'S TOTAL INSTRUMENT FLYING EXPERIENCE WAS NOT DETERMINED; OBTAINED INSTRUMENT RATING 1/3/87.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 355 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 14, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: IKK Kankakee IL at 10:03 pm
- Destination: MDH Carbondale IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 5,801 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 13 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:47 pm from MDH, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.