Piper PA-28-181 accident near Grayslake, Illinois, May 13, 1997
On May 13, 1997 at about 2:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8309L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grayslake, Illinois (Cambell airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's misjudgment of the aircraft's speed and runway distance available. Factors were an off-field ditch and a tailwind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 1997 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Grayslake, Illinois · Cambell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N8309L · no longer on the register · serial 28-8190112
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that on his fourth landing, during a series of night touch and go's, he 'flared the plane and it 'floated' for a long time.' With the end of the runway approaching the airplane departed the runway onto a taxiway. The pilot wrote 'I tried to turn into the taxiway at the runway's end, but was going too fast to make the turn.' The aircraft exited the taxiway, coming to rest in a 'nose down' attitude in a small canal off the end of the runway and taxiway. After exiting the airplane the pilot reported 'I noticed a strong wind directly from the east and observed the wind sock standing out with a bend of approximately 45 degrees.'
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; 8 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 123 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 1997; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cardinal Aircraft Service
The flight
- Departed from: C81 at 1:10 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,270 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N8309L 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.