Cessna 172N accident near West Chicago, Illinois, July 10, 2001
On July 10, 2001 at about 10:47 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5285E, was substantially damaged in an accident 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
The instructor pilot's inadequate recovery from the bounced landing and inadequate supervision of the dual students alignment with the runway. A factor was the student pilot not maintaining proper alignment with the runway during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2001 · about 10:47 pm local time
- Place
- West Chicago, Illinois · Dupage · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5285E · no longer on the register · serial 17271814
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with terrain during a recovery from a bounced landing. The instructor and student pilot were uninjured. The student pilot stated, "We touched down on the runway. The plane was still not aligned with the centerline and we bounced up at which point [the instructor] took control of the aircraft. He added full power and attempted to recover the aircraft. At this point, the nose of the aircraft rose up and the aircraft started to roll toward the right. The wheels hit the ground and our plane flipped forward ending up 15 feet on the side of the runway." The student pilot's report noted that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 511 hours in all; 159 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 94 in the last 30 days; 393 as pilot in command; 220 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 11 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,307 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Illinois Aviation Academy
The flight
- Departed from: C77 Poplar Grove IL at 10:10 pm
- Destination: DPA Chicago/West Ch IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1L, 6,700 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from DPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.