Piper PA-28-140 accident near Schaumburg, Illinois, September 11, 2024
On September 11, 2024 at about 3:46 pm local time, a 1972 Piper PA-28-140, registered N1429T, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Schaumburg, Illinois (Schaumburg Regional 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
The flight crew’s fuel mismanagement resulting in the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 2024 · about 3:46 pm local time
- Place
- Schaumburg, Illinois · Schaumburg Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140, built 1972 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N1429T · no longer on the register · serial 28-7225512
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was giving instruction to a private pilot. After an uneventful flight, the airplane was near its intended destination airport to make a full stop landing. The engine lost power and a forced landing was made about 0.27 miles from the airport. During the landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. The airplane had usable fuel in the right fuel tank. The flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction had selected the left fuel tank, which ran dry. The engine lost power due to fuel starvation. The operator stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during landing
- Fuel starvation during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine sea; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 368 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 5, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private, student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 93 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 20, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 7, 2024; 5,710 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320/E3D (piston); 5,127 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JVL Janesville WI at 2:56 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 am from KORD, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KORD 111551Z 19006KT 10SM FEW250 27/11 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP189 T02670106
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Airplane Wreckage at Accident Site
Photograph 2 – Closeup of Airplane Wreckage at Accident SiteThe 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
4 documents, released by the NTSB on November 8, 2024. 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 | Memorandum for the Record Fueling Summary for N1429T CEN24LA351 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Overhead Accident Site Diagrams CEN24LA351 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs CEN24LA351 | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | NTSB Form 6120 Pilot Operator Report with Continuation Narratives CEN24LA332 | PDF, 19 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.