Piper PA-38 accident near Hinckley, Illinois, July 25, 1990
On July 25, 1990, a Piper PA-38, registered N2508D, was destroyed in an accident near Hinckley, Illinois. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT'S INABILITY TO RECOVER FROM A STALL/SPIN. FACTORS WERE: ACFT WT & BALANCE EXCEEDED, AND THE INSTRUCTOR'S AND STUDENT PILOT'S LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH ACFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1990
- Place
- Hinckley, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38 · all PA-38s on the register
- Registration
- N2508D · no longer on the register · serial 38-79A0345
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A STUDENT PILOT AND INSTRUCTOR PILOT WERE FLYING A MODEL NEW TO THEM. THE STUDENT HAD NEVER FLOWN WITH THIS INSTRUCTOR BEFORE. SHORTLY AFTER ARRIVING IN THE TRAINING AREA, WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE SPIN TO THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE WAS OVER MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT AT TAKEOFF AND AT ACCIDENT. NO MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND. ELEVATOR TRIM WAS FULL NOSE UP. BOTH PILOTS HAD FLOWN A MAJORITY OF THEIR FLIGHT TIME IN ANOTHER MAKE AND MODEL FOR WHICH THE SPIN RECOVERY PROCEDURE AND THE USEFUL LOAD ABOVE FULL FUEL ARE DIFFERENT.
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: 990 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 886 as pilot in command; 542 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,322 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1990; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lumanair, INC
The flight
- Departed from: ARR Aurora IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from ARR, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.