Cessna T210N accident near Chicago, Illinois, February 20, 1997
On February 20, 1997 at about 12:50 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N7134J, was destroyed in an accident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 1997 · about 12:50 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N7134J · no longer on the register · serial 21063997
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The radar data observed N7134J flying on a southerly course over Lake Michigan at 3000 MSL. Weather in the area was observed to be; 25,000 feet overcast; visibility 3 miles in mist; temperature -1 degrees C; dew point -2 degrees C. An AIRMET called for icing and severe turbulence in that area at the time of the accident. There was no communication between the airplane and ATC after canceling their IFR flight plan shortly after departure. The flight path revealed an approximately 90 degree right turn towards the west with a descent from 3,100 feet MSL to 1,900 feet MSL within 14 seconds when radar contact was lost. To date, the entire wreckage was never located in Lake Michigan. Both pilots' autopsies revealed massive injuries to the head, trunk, and extremities; these injuries indicate a fairly high-energy impact.
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: 1,840 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 1,740 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,473 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 5, 1997; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKE Milwaukee WI at 12:39 pm
- Destination: SDF Louisville KY
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:45 pm from UGN, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N7134J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.