Cessna 172N accident near Lisle, Illinois, September 9, 1984
On September 9, 1984 at about 5:35 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5289D, was destroyed in an accident near Lisle, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- September 9, 1984 · about 5:35 am local time
- Place
- Lisle, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5289D · registry record · serial 17272495
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 0029 CDT THE PLT CONTACTED A LOCAL ATCT STATING THAT HE WAS IN IMC WITH 0 VISIBILITY REQUESTING ASSISTANCE AND DESIRING TO LAND AT THE CLOSEST ARPT. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS AT 2,000 FT AND WAS GIVEN A CLIMB TO 2,500 FT. THE CONTROLLER STATED THAT HE WAS TRYING TO GET THE ACFT ABOVE THE 2,300 FT MIN VECTORING ALT AND INTENDED TO CONTINUE THE CLIMB TO VMC AT APRX 4,000 FT. INITIALLY THE ACFT WAS HEADED TOWARD MIDWAY ARPT BUT WHEN MIDWAY WENT TO IFR THE DEST WAS CHANGED TO O'HARE. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THE ACFT WAS FLYING LOW AND ENTERED A CLIMB TO AN APRX 90 DEG NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE BEFORE THE NOSE DROPPED AND THE ACFT DESCENDED VERTICALLY TO THE GROUND. OVERCAST CLOUD LAYERS IN THE AREA VARIED FROM 700 TO 1,100 FT.
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: 165 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 90 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,045 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 1984; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C59 Delevan WI
- Destination: C18 Frankfort IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 am from DPA, 9 miles away
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.
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.