Cessna 208A accident near Mt. Zion, Illinois, April 27, 1989
On April 27, 1989 at about 2:40 am local time, a Cessna 208A, registered N9637F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mt. Zion, Illinois (Decatur airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INTENTIONAL FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE PILOT'S POOR EVALUATION OF THE WEATHER INFORMATION GIVEN HIM BY THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 1989 · about 2:40 am local time
- Place
- Mt. Zion, Illinois · Decatur · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208A · all 208As on the register
- Registration
- N9637F · no longer on the register · serial 20800120
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DEPARTED MARION WITHOUT A WX BRIEFING. PLT ADVISED DURING APPROACH THAT LAST PERSON MAKING APPROACH REPORTED MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE ON FINAL. SUBSEQUENTLY CLEARED TO LAND AND GIVEN WIND 360 AT 30 GUSTING 40. ALSO ADVISED THAT ANOTHER AIRCRAFT REPORTED A 20KT WINDSHEAR ON FINAL. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHEN HE HAD DESCENDED TO 1500 FEET MSL, THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED STRONG TURBULENCE AND THE AIRSPEED WENT FROM STALL TO REDLINE. DESPITE ADJUSTMENT TO FLAPS AND THROTTLE, THE AIRPLANE WAS UNCONTROLLABLE.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,100 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 7,000 as pilot in command; 4,700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 742 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 27, 1989; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,035 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MWA Marion IL at 1:50 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 5,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 25 knots, gusting 40
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:49 am from DEC, 4 miles away
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.