Piper PA-28-161 accident near Morris, Illinois, April 24, 1999
On April 24, 1999 at about 2:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N38968, was substantially damaged in an accident near Morris, Illinois (Morris Municipal Airport). 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the directional control not maintained by the pilot. Contributing factors were the wind gusts, crosswind and runway light.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 1999 · about 2:40 pm local time
- Place
- Morris, Illinois · Morris Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N38968 · registry record · serial 28-7716300
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In a written statement, the pilot reported, 'Upon reaching Morris (C09) the windsock indicated the winds were from the NE at 8-10 knots. Entered the pattern for runway 36. As the mains were touching down, a strong gust of wind from the right blew the airplane towards the left side of the runway near the runway lights. As the nose wheel touched down the airplane pulled to the left again. In order to avoid hitting several runway lights attempted to guide the airplane between the lights into the grassy area to the left of the runway. As the airplane was being slowed in the grass, a drop off of about 5 feet into a drainage area appeared. The airplane went over the drop off. The nose strut was bent backwards and the prop struck the ground...'. The airport manager reported that the winds at C09 were 090 degrees at 10 knots with gusts to 15 knots. He also reported that one runway light, located approximately 500-1,000 feet from the threshold of runway 36, was damaged. Inspection of the aircraft 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
- Flight time: 512 hours in all; 218 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,831 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 1999; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DPA West Chicago IL at 2:07 pm
- Destination: C09 IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 101° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from ARR, 21 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.
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.