Cessna 441 accident near West Chicago, Illinois, October 23, 1986
On October 23, 1986 at about 1:51 pm local time, a Cessna 441, registered N241FW, was destroyed in an accident near West Chicago, Illinois (Dupage airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- October 23, 1986 · about 1:51 pm local time
- Place
- West Chicago, Illinois · Dupage · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 441 · all 441s on the register
- Registration
- N241FW · no longer on the register · serial 441-0241
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT (A PART TIME EMPLOYEE OF THE OWNER) WAS FERRYING THE ACFT FOR MAINTENANCE. WITNESSES, WHO SAW THE PLT BFR TAKE- OFF, NOTED THAT HIS SPEECH WAS SLURRED & THAT HE SEEMED ANGRY BECAUSE A TUG WOULD NOT START. ONE WITNESS CHARACTERIZED HIM AS BEING 'VERY MAD' & SAID HIS FACE WAS 'FLUSHED RED.' THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO TAKEOFF IN A HI NOSE-UP ATTITUDE & CLIMB ABOUT 500 TO 1000 FT BFR TURNING TO THE SW & LEVELING. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLANE TURNED BACK TOWARD THE ARPT, THEN IT CRASHED & BURNED APRX 1-1/2 MI SSW OF THE ARPT WHILE ON A HDG OF NE. IMPACT OCCURRED WHILE THE ACFT WAS DSCNDG IN A SLIGHTLY LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE. THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER AN AREA THAT WAS APRX 600 FT LONG & ABOUT 45 FT WIDE AT THE WIDEST POINT. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE ENGS WERE OPERATING NORMALLY WHEN THE ACFT CRASHED. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FND. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK OF THE PLT'S LIVER TISSUE FLUID SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.226%.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,200 hours in all; 5 in the last 30 days; 9,790 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,615 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 108 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,850 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE 331-8-403 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DPA at 2:49 pm
- Destination: CGF Cleveland OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 28, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; not recorded at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from DPA, 1 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.