Cessna 152 accident near Wonder Lake, Illinois, March 21, 1986
On March 21, 1986 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49421, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wonder Lake, Illinois (Wonder Lake airport). It was a personal 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
- March 21, 1986 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wonder Lake, Illinois · Wonder Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49421 · no longer on the register · serial 152281252
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STARTER WOULD NOT ENGAGE, SO THE PLT TIED DOWN THE TAIL & HAND PROPPED THE ACFT TO START THE ENG, BUT DID NOT USE CHOCKS. AFTER THE ENG STARTED, THE ACFT ROLLED FORWARD, SLIPPED LOOSE FROM THE REAR TIE-DOWN & RAN INTO A PILE OF I-BEAMS. A POST ACDNT EXAM DISCLOSED A LOOSE CONNECTION ON THE STARTER SOLENOID.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,630 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 10C Wonder Lake IL
- Destination: ENW Kenosha WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 14°F (-10°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 am from ORD, 38 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.