Cessna 172R incident near West Chicago, Illinois, July 19, 2009
On July 19, 2009 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N77AF, was involved in an incident during approach near West Chicago, Illinois (Dupage Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power due to the detachment of the throttle control cable from the throttle assembly during a landing approach. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a redundant means to preclude the detachment of the cable from the throttle assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2009 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- West Chicago, Illinois · Dupage Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N77AF · no longer on the register · serial 17280071
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A previous maintenance entry in the airplane logbook indicated that the firewall was replaced and the airplane returned to service. The airplane had been operated for about 63 hours when the throttle control cable became unscrewed from the rod end of the throttle assembly during an instructional flight. The flight instructor and student pilot lost throttle control during an approach to a destination airport when engine speed increased to about 2,200-2,300 rpm. The flight instructor landed the airplane without further incident. The throttle control assemblies for the airplane do not have a key way at the throttle control knob to prevent rotation of the cable and unscrewing of the cable from the rod end should the jamnut become loose. The operator recommended that a safety device and not just a jamnut be installed to prevent the throttle control from disconnecting from the rod end.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Malfunction other cases naming the engine
- factor Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › (general) › Not specified other cases naming the other and general
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,888 hours in all; 1,419 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 9,677 as pilot in command; 1,960 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 16, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 549 hours in all; 255 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 513 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 5, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,880 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 26, 2009; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Flyers Inc
The flight
- Departed from: DPA West Chicago IL at 3:00 pm
- Destination: DPA West Chicago IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02L, 7,571 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from DPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 25, 2009. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather Information | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Cessna Maintenance Manual | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N77AF: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,680 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A 2,646 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dupage Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,055 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN09IA456.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.