Cessna R172E accident near Plato Center, Illinois, June 9, 1995
On June 9, 1995 at about 6:53 pm local time, a Cessna R172E, registered N5173, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plato Center, Illinois (Olson airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's excessive pull-up during a downwind banner pick-up resulting in a stall. A factor related to the accident was the tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 1995 · about 6:53 pm local time
- Place
- Plato Center, Illinois · Olson
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172E · all R172Es on the register
- Registration
- N5173 · no longer on the register · serial R172-0144
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A DOWNWIND BANNER PICKUP THE PILOT INITIATED A STEEP CLIMB AFTER HOOKING THE BANNER. THE AIRPLANE STALLED AND THE PILOT RELEASED THE BANNER. THE AIRPLANE NOSED DOWN INTO THE TERRAIN NEXT TO THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO REST INVERTED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,740 hours in all; 513 in this make and model; 260 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,331 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LL53
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from DPA, 12 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.
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.