Cessna 172M accident near Hanover Park, Illinois, January 5, 1983
On January 5, 1983 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9621Q, was destroyed in an accident near Hanover Park, Illinois (Schaumburg airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 5, 1983 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hanover Park, Illinois · Schaumburg · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9621Q · no longer on the register · serial 17265706
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN AN OPEN FIELD ABOUT ONE AND ONE HALF MILES FROM THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. THE WEATHER WAS IMC WITH LOW CEILINGS AND VISIBILTY IN FOG AND SNOW. THERE WAS NO RECORD THAT THE PILOT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING. GROUND WITNESSES NEAR THE SITE SAID THE VISIBILITY WAS ONE MILE OR LESS AND CEILINGS 100 TO 200 FEET. DURING THE CRASH SEQUENCE, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A TREE ABOUT 60 FEET NORTHWEST OF THE INITIAL GROUND IMPACT. THERE WAS A DEPRESSION IN THEFIELD EMANATING FROM A LARGER IMPACT HOLE ON A HEADING OF 217 DEGREES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON ITS NOSE AND BOTH WINGS. THE WINGS WERE CRUSHED AND THE COCKPIT WAS DESTROYED. ALL OCCUPANTS WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTIONS.
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: 235 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 176 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,603 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 25, 1982; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aviation Associates, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 06C Schaumburg IL
- Destination: Mimbres NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 3,000 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from DPA, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.