Piper PA-28-181 accident near Bloomington, Illinois, October 23, 1994
On October 23, 1994 at about 6:12 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N90875, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bloomington, Illinois (Bloomington-Normal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the landing which resulted in a stall. A factor related to the accident was the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1994 · about 6:12 pm local time
- Place
- Bloomington, Illinois · Bloomington-Normal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N90875 · registry record · serial 28-8690015
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REDUCED POWER AND BEGAN A DESCENT APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES FROM THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO ADD POWER TO ARREST THE DESCENT RATE, THE ENGINE FAILED TO RESPOND. THE AIRPLANE STALLED AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET DURING THE EMERGENCY LANDING APPROACH TO A PLOWED FIELD. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION FAILED TO REVEAL THE REASON FOR THE LOSS OF POWER.
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: 183 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 135 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,738 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 14, 1994; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Clark Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: DNV Danville IL at 5:05 pm
- Destination: BMI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from BMI, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI95LA021.