Maule MX-7-180A N17MX

Summary

On 30 July 2010 at about 20:30 local time, a Maule MX-7-180A registered N17MX was involved in an accident near Pittsfield, Illinois, United States. One person was 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

30 July 2010 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Pittsfield, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

39.6389, -90.7783

Aircraft

Maule MX-7-180A

Registration

N17MX

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dodge City → Springfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10CA452

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's loss of directional control during a precautionary off-field landing that he performed after encountering deteriorating weather conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument-rated pilot was on a cross-country flight when he encountered deteriorating weather conditions. The pilot was receiving flight following from air traffic control and, after discussing the weather conditions, he advised the controller that he was going to divert to a nearby airport. While en route to the airport, the airplane encountered increasingly lower cloud ceilings and the pilot elected to perform a precautionary off-field landing onto a county road. During the landing rollout the right main landing gear departed the road and the airplane subsequently impacted a ditch alongside the road. The primary fuselage structure and both wings were substantially damaged during the accident. A nearby airport weather observation station reported scattered clouds between 700 and 1,500 feet, an overcast ceiling at 2,100 feet, and a 5-mile ground visibility with drizzle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.