Cessna 172P accident near Grays Lake, Illinois, June 21, 1998
On June 21, 1998 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N99548, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grays Lake, Illinois (Campbell Airport). It was a personal flight 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 pilot's not performing a recovery from a bounced landing and his not maintaining directional control. A factor was soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1998 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Grays Lake, Illinois · Campbell Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N99548 · no longer on the register · serial 17276464
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot said that his initial flare on landing, was high, and he did not recover prior to a experiencing a bounced landing. After the touchdown and bounce, he lost directional control. The airplane subsequently encountered soft terrain and nosed over. A post accident examination of the airplane revealed no pre-accident anomalies.
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: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Palwaukee IL at 6:55 pm
- Destination: C81 IL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 9, 3,270 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:30 pm from UGN, 12 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.
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.