Cessna 172M accident near Champaign, Illinois, April 6, 1988
On April 6, 1988 at about 5:56 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N64508, was substantially damaged in an accident near Champaign, Illinois (Willard 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
- April 6, 1988 · about 5:56 pm local time
- Place
- Champaign, Illinois · Willard · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N64508 · registry record · serial 17265268
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD JUST LANDED AT THE AIRPORT FOR REFUELING AND WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE TOWER TO DO A 180 DEGREE TURN ON THE RUNWAY AND THEN MAKE A LEFT TURN ON THE FIRST TAXIWAY. THE PILOT EXECUTED THE 180 DEGREE TURN AND WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN LEFT (CROSSWIND) ONTO THE TAXIWAY, DID NOT SUFFICIENTLY COMPENSATE FOR THE EXISTING WIND CONDITIONS AND AS A RESULT THE AIRCRAFT WAS 'BLOWN' OVER ONTO ITS BACK.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,984 hours in all; 1,984 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 1,660 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3SG Saginaw MI at 2:39 pm
- Destination: M43 Dexter MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 8,100 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 32 knots, gusting 42
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:05 pm from CMI, 3 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.