Cessna 172P accident near Waukegan, Illinois, November 23, 1984
On November 23, 1984 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N53134, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waukegan, Illinois (Waukegan Memorial airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- November 23, 1984 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Waukegan, Illinois · Waukegan Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N53134 · registry record · serial 17274691
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN DURING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING A LOSS OF POWER DURING TAKEOFF. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT TWO DAYS PREVIOUSLY A LOSS OF POWER HAD OCCURED DURING A TEST FLT WHICH WAS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO THE POWER LOSS EXPERIENCED DURING THIS ACCIDENT ONLY THE PLT HAD SUFFICIENT ALT TO EXECUTE A 180 DEG TURN AND LAND BACK ON THE RWY. AFTER THIS FLT HEET (DRY ICE) WAS ADDED TO EACH FUEL TANK. ANALYSIS OF THE LIQUID DRAINED FROM THE ACFT FOLLOWING THE ACC REVEALED A MIXTURE OF WATER AND METHANOL. METHANOL IS THE MAIN INGREDIENT OF HEET. THE ACFT ENG & CARB WERE TESTED & OPERATED NORMALLY.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,996 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,993 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 3, 1984; 156 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 3-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UGN Waukegan IL at 4:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 4,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:57 pm from NBU, 20 miles away
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.