Cessna P210 accident near Grayslake, Illinois, August 20, 1997
On August 20, 1997 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna P210, registered N44C, was destroyed in an accident near Grayslake, Illinois (Campbell airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
excessive airspeed and the pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point during landing. Factors associated with the accident were inadequate aircraft preflight and the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1997 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Grayslake, Illinois · Campbell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210 · all P210s on the register
- Registration
- N44C · registry record · serial P21000311
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the fuel level in his main tanks was getting low so he attempted to transfer fuel from the tip tanks only to discover that the transfer pumps were inoperative. He decided to land at the closest airport. The first landing approach was high so he performed a go-around. The second approach was also high, but he elected to land anyway instead of risk running out of fuel during another go-around. The airplane touched down long and fast. It traveled off the runway where it contacted a 12 foot deep ditch which contained 3 feet of water.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,076 hours in all; 1,031 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,860 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,684 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 27, 1997; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheeling IL at 1:00 pm
- Destination: C81
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,270 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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 N44C 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.