Cessna 180 N4679U

Summary

On 19 April 2025 at about 15:16 local time, a Cessna 180 registered N4679U was involved in an accident near Trilla, Illinois, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

19 April 2025 at 15:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Trilla, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

39.3742, -88.3635

Aircraft

Cessna 180

Registration

N4679U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greenville → Menomonie

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25FA179

4 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On April 19, 2025, at 1016 central daylight time, a Cessna 180G, N4679U, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Trilla, Illinois. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. According to flight history data, the airplane departed its home base in Menomonie, Wisconsin, on April 16, 2025, on a visual flight rules cross-country flight to Muhlenberg County Airport (M21), Greenville, Kentucky. The pilot purchased 42 gallons of 100 low lead aviation fuel at M21 before continuing to John C. Tune Airport (JWN), Nashville, Tennessee. On the day of the accident, the pilot flew back to M21 to retrieve a purse that a passenger inadvertently left at the airport during the previous visit. The pilot purchased an additional 12.81 gallons of aviation fuel before departing northbound. Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) data showed the airplane proceeding toward Mattoon, Illinois. A witness reported that he was on a roof performing repairs when he heard an airplane overhead. He described the engine sound as “unusually low” and similar to that of a “crop duster.” The engine noise increased, as if the airplane was attempting to climb at the end of a low pass. He then heard an explosion and observed a fireball beyond the tree line. The witness further noted that it had recently stopped raining; however, it was “misting” at time of the accident. Surveillance video from a location near the accident site depicted weather conditions that included overcast clouds and light rain. The airplane was located on a county road about 8 nautical miles south of Coles County Memorial Airport (MTO), Mattoon, Illinois. An examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane struck power lines about 35 ft in height, before ground impact. The debris path extended approximately 100 ft along a 227° magnetic heading. The wreckage was highly fragmented. All major components of the airplane were located within the debris field. Flight control continuity was confirmed to all flight control surfaces through breaks that were consistent with tension overload. The engine was found partially buried in a crater about 3 ft deep, and was heavily impact damaged. The wreckage was recovered for further examination. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. He did not hold an instrument rating. Initial review of the pilot’s logbook revealed that he had accumulated about 300 hours of total flight experience as of October 2024.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.