Piper PA28R accident near Chicago, Illinois, March 17, 1990
On March 17, 1990 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Piper PA28R, registered N4340K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE DURING AN ATTEMPTED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 1990 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28R · all PA28Rs on the register
- Registration
- N4340K · registry record · serial 28R8431016
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN WHILE ATTEMPTING A CROSSWIND LANDING. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE PRIVATE RATED PILOT, THE ONLY PERSON ONBOARD, WAS NOT INJURED. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE FLIGHT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL HE STARTED HIS APPROACH. HE GOES ON TO SAY THAT HIS CROSSWIND CORRECTION AND SPEED APPEARED TO BE ADEQUATE TO MAINTAIN RUNWAY ALIGNMENT AND THEN COMPLETES HIS STATEMENT BY RELATING HOW A SUDDEN GUST OF WIND PUSHED THE AIRCRAFT DOWNWARD CAUSING A HARD LANDING. AN AIRPORT WEATHER OBSERVATION TAKEN 5 MINUTES AFTER THE ACCIDENT REPORTED THE WIND AS BEING 80 DEGREES FROM THE RUNWAY AT 20 KNOTS. THE DEMONSTRATED CROSSWIND COMPONENT ON THIS AIRPLANE IS 17 KNOTS.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 248 hours in all; 70 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360FB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTK Oakland Pontiac MI at 2:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,947 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:45 pm from CGX
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.