Beech 35-A33 accident near Vernon Hills, Illinois, April 18, 1991
On April 18, 1991 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Beech 35-A33, registered N123JB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vernon Hills, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
WATER CONTAMINATION OF THE FUEL, AND THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1991 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Vernon Hills, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35-A33 · all 35-A33s on the register
- Registration
- N123JB · no longer on the register · serial CD313
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED ON A MAINTENANCE CHECK FLIGHT AFTER THE ENGINE WAS OVERHAULED. ABOUT 30 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER, AND THE PILOT MADE AN OFF-AIRPORT FORCED LANDING. ON INSPECTION, WATER WAS DRAINED FROM THE MAIN FUEL TANK(S). THE PILOT REPORT THAT HE HAD DRAINED THE AUX FUEL TANKS, BUT NOT THE MAIN TANKS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,670 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 315 in the last 90 days; 67 in the last 30 days; 1,378 as pilot in command; 760 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,463 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 16, 1991; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,010 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental I0-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: G & N Aircraft
The flight
- Departed from: O5C Griffith IN at 7:15 pm
- Destination: C52 Burlington WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N123JB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.