Piper PA-25-235 accident near Hinckley, Illinois, August 16, 1997
On August 16, 1997 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-235, registered N9781P, was destroyed in an accident near Hinckley, Illinois (Hinckley 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 failure of the glider pilot to properly handle his airplane during the initial takeoff climb which resulted in the tow pilot's inability to maintain control of his airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1997 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hinckley, Illinois · Hinckley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-235 · all PA-25-235s on the register
- Registration
- N9781P · no longer on the register · serial 25-7556091
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tow plane reported that after takeoff at an altitude of about 50 ft agl, he felt a 'large pull' on the tail of his airplane. He looked back and saw the glider was 'very high and off to my left side.' He then felt slack in the line at which time he thought the glider was moving back into position. At an altitude of 100' to 150' a 'violent jerk' occurred and the tow plane was forced into a nose down attitude. The tow rope was released but the airplane continued in the nose down attitude until it contacted the terrain.
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 single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,700 hours in all; 405 in this make and model; 131 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 1,548 as pilot in command; 485 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,482 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 1997; 147 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 0C2 at 7:00 pm
- Destination: 0C2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.