Piper PA-28-140 accident near Rock Falls, IL
On March 20, 2026, a Piper PA-28-140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Rock Falls, IL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 20, 2026
- Place
- Rock Falls, IL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.740°N, 89.668°W
- NTSB ID
- 20260320202671
NTSB summary
On March 20, 2026, about 1503 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140 airplane, N9913W, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Rock Falls, Illinois. The student pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The student pilot’s flight instructor stated that the student pilot arrived at the Whiteside County Airport (SQI) in Rock Falls, Illinois, around 1430 to complete his 10th solo flight since receiving his solo endorsement on February 12, 2026. According to the instructor the wind had been variable throughout the day and favored both runway 36 and runway 25 with windy conditions. The instructor stated that the student pilot was going to use runway 25 but was unsure what flight maneuver he was going perform for the local area flight. At 1503, an automatic crash detection alert was received by local emergency services from the student pilot’s Apple iPhone. At 1510, first responders discovered the airplane upright in an agricultural field 1,100 ft south of runway 25. There were no witnesses who observed the accident. The airplane came to rest upright on a heading of about 323°. The main debris field was about 36 ft in length on a heading of about 087° with the initial impact point ground scar containing fragments of the left wing tip and leading edge. A second impact ground depression was about 22 ft past the intimal impact point and contained forward fuselage debris. The left wing was separated from the airframe and found 67 ft past the initial impact point (see figure
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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.
