Piper PA-28-160 accident near Burlington, Illinois, February 23, 1992
On February 23, 1992 at about 8:08 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-160, registered N5309W, was destroyed in an accident near Burlington, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL AFTER ENCOUNTERING INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN CRUISE FLIGHT. RELATED FACTORS ARE THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE WEATHER EVALUATION, THE LOW CEILING AND REDUCED VISIBILITY (FOG).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 1992 · about 8:08 pm local time · cases in 1992
- Place
- Burlington, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-160 · all PA-28-160s on the register
- Registration
- N5309W · registry record · serial 28-363
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT ENCOUNTERED INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (LOW CEILINGS AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN FOG) WHILE RETURNING TO THE HOME BASE AIRPORT. A WITNESS SAW THE AIRPLANE DESCEND NOSE FIRST INTO A FIELD LOCATED ABOUT 3 MILES FROM THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. HE DESCRIBED SEEING THE TOP OF THE WINGS AND FUSELAGE BRIEFLY BEFORE IMPACT, AND STATED THE AIRPLANE APPEARED TO BE ALMOST PERPENDICULAR TO THE GROUND. POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. WEATHER AT DUPAGE COUNTY AIRPORT, 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, WAS REPORTED TO BE: SKY PARTIALLY OBSCURED, 300 OVERCAST, 1 MILE VISIBILITY, FOG, TEMPERATURE 39 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT (F), DEW POINT 39 DEGREES F, WINDS OUT OF 060 DEGREES AT 12 KNOTS. LOCAL RESIDENTS REPORTED HEARING THE ENGINE NOISE OF A LOW FLYING AIRPLANE, AND RELATED THAT THE WEATHER HAD DETERIORATED RAPIDLY THAT AFTERNOON.
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: 460 hours in all; 12 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 418 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 26, 1991
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C48 Sandwich IL at 7:30 pm
- Destination: LL53 Plato Center IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from DPA, 15 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5309W on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Warrior, Archer and Arrow 18,621 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B 92 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wilson Bar Usfs Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,071 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI92FA095.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.