Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 accident near Chenoa, Illinois, April 12, 1998
On April 12, 1998 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300, registered N301NL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chenoa, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot experienced GLOC (G induced loss of consciousness) while performing an aerobatic maneuver. Fatigue was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 1998 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Chenoa, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 · all EA-300s on the register
- Registration
- N301NL · registry record · serial 059
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A pilot with aerobatic experience witnessed the accident airplane maneuvering prior to impact. She reported that the airplane was 'kicking around for the turn-around for a knife-edge spin (identical entry as a hammerhead maneuver). Everything looked normal.' The witness reported the airplane was recovering from this maneuver and initiated a 1/4 roll (down) to the left. The witness reported that, 'The plane got lower and lower, closer to the ground. I could see that there was a last minute positive pitch change. I saw him impact the ground flat.' The pilot was found conscious. The witness reported, 'He was aware of what had happened to him. He explained [to] me on the spot that he G-locked (gray-out) during the pullout of the maneuver... .' The pilot reported that a lack of food and water on the day of the accident, in addition to fatigue, contributed to the accident.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,808 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Palwaukee IL at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 11LL Thacker Field IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 27 knots, gusting 34
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from BMI, 30 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.
Other NTSB records under N301NL 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.