Cessna 150L accident near Schaumburg, Illinois, July 8, 2003
On July 8, 2003 at about 6:24 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N10257, was destroyed in an accident near Schaumburg, Illinois (Schaumburg Air Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining airplane control and the inadvertent stall he encountered during initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2003 · about 6:24 pm local time
- Place
- Schaumburg, Illinois · Schaumburg Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N10257 · no longer on the register · serial 15074826
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed on impact with wires and terrain following a loss of control during initial climbout from runway 29. A post impact fire occurred. A witness saw the airplane take off and climb at a steep angle in what he described as a "short field takeoff." He said that the tail of the airplane dropped and the nose pitched upward into a "steep angle of attack." He said the airplane was in a "spin" in a nose down attitude. Locally recorded wind was 040 degrees at 9 knots. Engine and flight control continuity were established. No pre-impact anomalies were detected during an on-scene investigation.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 06C Schaumburg IL at 6:24 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 3,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from DPA, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.