Cessna 150L accident near Wheeling, Illinois, January 23, 1985
On January 23, 1985 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N11413, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wheeling, Illinois (Pal-Waukee airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- January 23, 1985 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wheeling, Illinois · Pal-Waukee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N11413 · no longer on the register · serial 15075401
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ABOUT 400 FT AGL DURING TAKEOFF, THE ENG LOST ALL POWER. THE PLT WAS ABLE TO REGAIN PARTIAL POWER FOR APRX 20 SEC, BY 'MILKING' THE THROTTLE, THEN THE ENG STOPPED AGAIN. TO AVOID POWER LINES & FACTORIES AHEAD, THE PLT TURNED BACK & LANDED ON ARPT PROPERTY. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED & THE ACFT NOSED OVER. THE TEMPERATURE AT THE TIME OF THE ACDNT, WAS 27 DEG. MECHANICS OF THE OPERATOR STATED THAT ALCOHOL WAS NORMALLY ADDED TO THE FUEL IN THE WINTER, BUT THIS ACFT HAD BEEN IN A HANGER FOR A ABOUT A MONTH, THEN IT WAS LEFT OUTSIDE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THE ACDNT FLT. THEY ALSO STATED THAT FUEL WAS TAKEN FROM THE ACFT AFTER THE ACDNT & FROZEN, & ICE CRYSTALS FORMED. THE PLT'S RECOMMENDATION FOR PREVENTION OF THIS ACDNT WAS 'BY USE OF ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL - 3% BY VOLUME IN FUEL IN EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER.
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: 102 hours in all; 102 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 46 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,624 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 16, 1984; 60 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, 3,450 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:30 pm from NBU, 4 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.