Boeing Stearman B75N1 N47964

Summary

On 23 September 2001 at about 00:40 local time, a Boeing Stearman B75N1 registered N47964 was involved in an accident near Carbondale, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 September 2001 at 00:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Carbondale, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Southern Illinois Airport (MDH)

Coordinates

37.7199, -89.2096

Aircraft

Boeing Stearman B75N1

Registration

N47964

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shelbyville → Carbondale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CHI01LA321

Nobody was injured.

The pilot misjudged the proper alignment with the landing area. Contributing to the accident was the light conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was attempting a night landing on a sod area to the right side of the runway and landed approximately 150 feet to the right of the sod area in a cornfield. The pilot reported, "Because of ditch to left and low light conditions approach was to right of center of sod. Approach was 35 yards too far to right and when ground was in sight for landing, the tassels of a cornfield were mistaken for grass runway. A normal 3 point full stall landing was made to the tops of corn, proceeding for 100 feet and a very slow pitch over onto nose and back." According to an almanac of sun data, the sun set at 1854 and the end of civil twilight was at 1920. The Southern Illinois Airport Authority (SIAA) approved takeoff and landing operations on the sod area adjacent to runway 36R for two specific pilot/aircraft combinations. The memorandum did not have any additional limitations or provisions, including the restriction of operations after civil twilight. Subsequent to the accident, the SIAA mandated that all flight operations on the sod area would be during daylight hours only.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.