Piper PA-31-350 accident near Riverwoods, IL
On November 29, 2011, a Piper PA-31-350 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Riverwoods, IL. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- November 29, 2011
- Place
- Riverwoods, IL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 42.164°N, 87.898°W
- NTSB ID
- 20111129X93953
Official records · CEN12FA086
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Miscellaneous - Communication with the Chief Pilot: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Miscellaneous - Communication with the Chief Pilot: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Miscellaneous - Communication with the Chief Pilot: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Transcript of Approach Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 28, 2011, about 2250 central standard time, the pilot of Lifeguard N59773, a Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain airplane, declared an emergency, reporting that the airplane was out of fuel, and indicating that the flight was gliding without engine power direct to the destination airport, Chicago Executive Airport (PWK), near Wheeling, Illinois. The emergency medical services (EMS) airplane subsequently sustained substantial damage when it impacted trees and terrain near Riverwoods, Illinois. The airline transport pilot and two passengers on board sustained fatal injuries. A pilot-rated passenger received serious injuries and the medical crew member received minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by Trans North Aviation Ltd. under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 as a non-scheduled, domestic, on-demand, EMS passenger flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident for the flight, which operated on an activated instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight departed from the Jesup-Wayne County Airport (JES), near Jesup, Georgia, about 1900. According to a load manifest form found in the wreckage, dated November 28, 2011, the crew that flew N59773 from the Crawfordsville Municipal Airport (CFJ), near Crawfordsville, Indiana, to the Perry-Houston County Airport (PXE), near Perry, Georgia, and onto the Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), near West Palm Beach, Florida, listed the pilot-rated passenger as the pilot-in-command and listed the pilot and the medical crewm
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion during approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate an airplane after using illicit drugs.
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Browse: Illinois · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
