Cessna P210N accident near Savoy, Illinois, November 13, 1994
On November 13, 1994, a Cessna P210N, registered N4895K, was destroyed in an accident near Savoy, Illinois (Univ Of Ill-Willard airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB DURING THE NIGHT TAKEOFF. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: LACK OF VISUAL CUES, THE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE DARK NIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 1994
- Place
- Savoy, Illinois · Univ Of Ill-Willard · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4895K · no longer on the register · serial P210-00357
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE LOCAL CONTROLLER STATED THAT HE OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE TAKE OFF FROM RUNWAY 14R AND '...ENTER THE BASES OF THE CLOUDS....' THE AIRPLANE THEN CRASHED INTO TREES 1/4 MILE OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE AND AIRFRAME DID NOT REVEAL ANY PREEXISTING ANOMALIES. LOCAL PILOTS WHO USE THE AIRPORT ON A REGULAR BASIS STATED THAT DEPARTURE FROM RUNWAY 14R DURING PERIODS OF DARKNESS AND REDUCED VISIBILITY PROVIDES THE PILOT WITH LITTLE OR NO VISUAL CUES IN THE INITIAL CLIMB ATTITUDE; THERE ARE SCANT SOURCES OF LIGHT ONCE THE AIRPLANE REACHES THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED AN INSTRUMENT COMPETENCY CHECK THE DAY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT IN A FIXED INSTRUMENT SIMULATOR.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,437 hours in all; 423 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 1,412 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,542 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 18, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-P (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CMI
- Destination: LL10 Naperville IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14R, 8,100 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 am from CMI, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.