Cessna 152 accident near Wheeling, Illinois, September 24, 1984
On September 24, 1984 at about 11:38 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N757ZG, was destroyed in an accident near Wheeling, Illinois (Palwaukee airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- September 24, 1984 · about 11:38 pm local time
- Place
- Wheeling, Illinois · Palwaukee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N757ZG · no longer on the register · serial 15280129
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ACFT BEGAN TO CLIMB BEFORE IT BANKED TO THE LEFT AND ENTERED A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE STUDENT PILOT'S INSTRUCTOR STATED THAT HE WAS AWARE THAT THE FLT WAS TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE THAT EVENING BUT HE DID NOT DISCUSS WITH THE STUDENT PILOT THE STRONG WIND CONDITIONS THAT HAD BEEN PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THE REPORTED WIND WAS 200 DEGREES AT 20 KTS. THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON RWY 24R.
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
- Flight time: 62 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,944 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 19, 1984; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24R, 3,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 200° at 22 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:38 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.