Piper PA-32-260 accident near St. Charles, Illinois, January 17, 1999
On January 17, 1999 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N40712, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Charles, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Also causal was the pilot's inadequate preflight/planning preparation which led to inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and him becoming lost/disoriented. Contributing to the accident were the low ceiling, his lack of recent experience in instrument flying and the snow covered field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 17, 1999 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- St. Charles, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N40712 · no longer on the register · serial 32-7400021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he was returning to the airport where the flight originated because he encountered bad weather. When reaching the vicinity of the Lewis/Lockport Airport, Romeoville, Illinois, the pilot said that there were low ceilings over the airport which prohibited him from landing there. He then noted that he was running low on fuel. The pilot said that he was unsure of his position, but would attempt to find the Dupage County Airport, West Chicago, Illinois. When reaching the Dupage Airport area, the pilot said that the ceilings were low there too. The pilot said that he was just about to declare an emergency, when his airplane ran out of fuel. He spotted a large field and performed a forced landing. No fuel was observed in any of the airplane's four fuel tanks. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 766 hours in all; 63 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 609 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,072 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1998; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LOT Chicago IL at 6:00 pm
- Destination: MVN Mt. Vernon IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from DPA, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N40712 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.