Summary
On July 30, 2010, a Maule MX-7-180A (N17MX) was involved in an incident near Pittsfield, IL. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's loss of directional control during a precautionary off-field landing that he performed after encountering deteriorating weather conditions.
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 told 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 fuselage primary structure and both wings were substantially damaged during the accident.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN10CA452. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N17MX.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's loss of directional control during a precautionary off-field landing that he performed after encountering deteriorating weather conditions.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
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 told 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 fuselage primary 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.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN10CA452