Cessna 140 accident near Lomax, Illinois, July 27, 1994
On July 27, 1994 at about 9:07 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N9409A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lomax, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a transmission wire, and the pilot's failure to maintain an appropriate altitude. A factor associated with the accident is the transmission wire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1994 · about 9:07 pm local time
- Place
- Lomax, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N9409A · no longer on the register · serial 15230
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED HE AND HIS PILOT-RATED PASSENGER WERE FLYING ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WHEN THE AIRPLANE STRUCK AN UNSEEN AND UNMARKED POWER LINE. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY WENT INTO THE RIVER, AND THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE RESCUED BY BOATERS. ACCORDING TO A POLICE OFFICER WHO INTERVIEWED THE PILOT AND PASSENGER JUST AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THEY SAID THEY WERE JUST FLYING ALONG THE RIVER, WAVING AT PEOPLE AND HAVING FUN. A POWER COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE SAID THE HEIGHT OF THE TWO POLES WHICH SUPPORTED THE POWER LINE WAS ABOUT 60'; HE SAID THE HEIGHT OF THE WIRE WHICH THE AIRPLANE STRUCK WAS APPROXIMATELY 45-50'.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,840 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,544 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 1993; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-14F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1H7 Grove OK at 5:30 pm
- Destination: MOL Moline IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.