Cessna 150 accident near Prospect Heights, Illinois, December 21, 2025
On December 21, 2025 at about 7:42 pm local time, a 1974 Cessna 150, registered N3103V, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Prospect Heights, Illinois (Chicago Executive 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2025 · about 7:42 pm local time
- Place
- Prospect Heights, Illinois · Chicago Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 M, built 1974 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N3103V · registry record · serial 15076382
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 21, 2025, about 1342 central standard time, a Cessna 150M, N3103V, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Prospect Heights, Illinois. The student pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The student pilot was flying solo. He was returning from the practice area and was on final approach. While making an altitude correction, the student pilot applied engine power and applied slight back pressure on the control yoke. He heard a click and realized the yoke was stuck. He initially applied a “decent amount of force” and was unable to move the control. The stuck control resulted in the airplane beginning to climb while on short final. The pilot then added more force to get the yoke to move, he heard another click and the yoke was released and worked again. He then landed and taxied back without any further issues. Examination afterwards by the pilot and his flight instructor found the support collar at the instrument panel had cracked (see figure below). When the control yoke was moved through its range of motion a certain way, the support collar would cause the yoke to be stuck until aggressive force was applied to free it. Due to the adverse effect on the aircraft’s flight characteristics and the required replacement of the support collar, the airplane sustained substantial damage. The support collar was removed and retained for further examination. Figure. Support collar for pilot control yoke.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,568.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 4, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: N3103V LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.45 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from KPWK
Weather report (METAR): METAR KPWK 211852Z 25007KT 10SM CLR M02/M14 A3045 RMK AO2 SLP321 T10171144 $=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N3103V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN26LA080.