Cessna 150M accident near Freeport, Illinois, May 18, 2003
On May 18, 2003 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N2842V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Freeport, Illinois (Albertus Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of distance and altitude, and his failure to maintain obstacle clearance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 2003 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 2003
- Place
- Freeport, Illinois · Albertus Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N2842V · no longer on the register · serial 15076297
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted a fence while on approach to land. The pilot reported everything was normal until the airplane came to a sudden stop. A witness reported the airplane was descending slowly at a steep angle when it impacted the fence. The pilot reported no problems with the airplane or the engine prior to the accident.
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
- Flight time: 78 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 37 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 23, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,680.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 2003; 34.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FEP Freeport IL at 5:45 pm
- Destination: FEP Freeport IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 2,285 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 14 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from FEP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N2842V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2842V: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 150 7,993 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200 A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Albertus Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,055 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2842V 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI03LA129.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.