Cessna 182RG accident near Lansing, Illinois, December 9, 1990
On December 9, 1990 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182RG, registered N756ZQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lansing, Illinois (Lansing airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
EXCESSIVE LOWERING OF FLAPS RESULTED IN AIRCRAFT CONTROL NOT BEING MAINTAINED BY THE PILOT..INADEQUATE AIRSPEED RESULTED IN A STALL/MUSH AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH THE TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: A GUSTY CROSSWIND AND A DELAYED GO-AROUND BY THE PILOT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 9, 1990 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lansing, Illinois · Lansing · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182RG · all 182RGs on the register
- Registration
- N756ZQ · no longer on the register · serial R18201205
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND, WITH FULL FLAPS, IN A GUSTY CROSSWIND, DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST WHEN THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE NOSE WHEEL, THEN BECAME AIRBORNE. THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT, AND A GO-AROUND WAS ATTEMPTED, BUT LACK OF FLYING SPEED RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH THE TERRAIN. THE FLIGHT OPERATIONS HANDBOOK RECOMMENDS MINIMUM FLAPS DURING CROSS-WIND LANDINGS.
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
- Ratings: instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 660 hours in all; 195 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 608 as pilot in command; 39 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RFD Rockford IL at 7:00 pm
- Destination: 3HA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,655 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20000000 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:45 pm from MDW, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.