Cessna 172P accident near Wheeling, Illinois, November 21, 2021
On November 21, 2021 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1985 Cessna 172P, registered N99715, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Wheeling, Illinois (Chicago Exec airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing was the student pilot’s self-induced pressure to land after being admonished by the controller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2021 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Wheeling, Illinois · Chicago Exec · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P NO SERIES, built 1985 · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N99715 · registry record · serial 17276501
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he was flying a solo traffic pattern flight when during the final approach to land and configured with 20° of flaps, the airplane began drifting left of the runway centerline. The student pilot applied power to extend the touchdown point while trying to reestablish the airplane over the runway centerline when the airplane “dropped suddenly” onto the runway and began to porpoise. Before the student pilot could recover, the airplane “dropped heavily” a second time, resulting in the nose wheel separating and the airplane departing the left side of the runway. The airplane came to rest on the lower fuselage in the grass. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward and bottom fuselage. The student pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot reported that while in the traffic pattern, the air traffic controller tried to reach him three times with no response. When the student pilot did respond, the controller admonished the student pilot for not paying attention to the radio calls. The student pilot reported that he likely flared too high over the runway and that the admonishment from the controller was “unsettling” and that he should have executed a go-around rather than attempt to land on that approach.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Mental/emotional state › Stress › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 84.8 hours in all; 12.3 in this make and model; 27.6 in the last 90 days; 12.3 in the last 30 days; 5.6 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 3, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,246.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 10, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming Engines O-320-A2F (piston); 4,347 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 16/3, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 am from KPWK
Weather report (METAR): KPWK 211652Z 23007KT 10SM BKN060 BKN075 10/01 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP166 T01000011 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Left side view of the airplane after it was recovered
Photo 2 – Close-up view of the separated nose wheel assembly
Photo 3 – Close-up frontal view of the underside of the fuselage
Photo 4 – Close-up left side view of the underside of the fuselageThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 18, 2022. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | 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
- N99715 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,692 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming Engines O-320-A2F 27,304 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Chicago Executive · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,070 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN22LA043.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.