Cessna 150 accident near Wheeling, Illinois, February 26, 1983
On February 26, 1983 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N63044, was destroyed in an accident near Wheeling, Illinois (Pal-Waukee 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).
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
- February 26, 1983 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wheeling, Illinois · Pal-Waukee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N63044 · registry record · serial 15077059
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT WAS MAKING A TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING AND AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL THE ENGINE STOPPED. A RESTART WAS TO NO AVAIL. THE PLT STATED THAT HE KEPT THE AIRSPEED NEAR STALL SPEED UNTIL GROUND IMPACT. THERE WAS FUEL SPILLAGE AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AND NO VISIBLE MOISTURE/ICE IN THE FUEL. ON 3/10/83 THE ENGINE WAS SUCCESSFULLY OPERATED UP TO 2350 RPM. NO DISCREPANCIES WAS FOUND.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 118 hours in all; 117 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 45 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,133 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 8, 1982; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24R, 3,654 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:05 pm from PWK
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.