Cessna 172P accident near Lansing, Illinois, July 27, 1991
On July 27, 1991 at about 4:57 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N66365, was destroyed in an accident near Lansing, Illinois. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT STALL/SPIN DURING LOW ALTITUDE MANEUVERS. RELATED FACTORS ARE GROUND PERSONNEL'S INADEQUATE TRAFFIC ADVISORY, AND THE PILOT'S ABRUPT PULL UP.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1991 · about 4:57 pm local time
- Place
- Lansing, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N66365 · no longer on the register · serial 17275987
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED OVERFLYING THE AIRPORT FROM SOUTH SOUTHWEST TO NORTH NORTHEAST ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL), AT A SLOW AIRSPEED FOR A BANNER DROP. ANOTHER AIRPLANE WAS SEEN APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTH ABOUT 25 FEET AGL AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED FOR A BANNER PICK UP. WITNESSES SAW THE FIRST AIRPLANE DROP THE BANNER AND BEGIN TO CLIMB OUT. THEY STATED THE AIRPLANE WAS SLOW, IN A STEEP CLIMB ALTITUDE. THEY REPORTED THE WINGS ROCKED BACK AND FORTH, THEN THE RIGHT WING AND NOSE DROPPED SUDDENLY. THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED TO THE GROUND IN WHAT WITNESSES DESCRIBED AS A 'RIGHT HAND SPIN ROTATION' AND CAME TO REST IN A CHURCH PARKING LOT. SEVERAL WITNESSES REPORTED THE SECOND AIRPLANE PICKED UP THE BANNER AND BEGAN TO CLIMB OUT ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY, AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE.
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: 450 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,609 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 14, 1991; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Andrew & Mary Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.
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.