Cessna 402B accident near Chicago, Illinois, July 21, 1987
On July 21, 1987 at about 3:19 am local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N3742C, was destroyed in an accident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO PERFORM PROPER INSTALLATION OF THE LEFT THROTTLE LINKAGE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1987 · about 3:19 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3742C · registry record · serial 402B0600
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON INITIAL CLIMB THE PILOT REPORTED 'JUST LOST ONE', FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF CONTROL AND DESCENT INTO A RESIDENTIAL AREA. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED A LOOSE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE LEFT ENGINE THROTTLE SERRATED WASHER AND THE SERRATED SHAFT. THE ENGINE HAD BEEN REMOVED AND REINSTALED A FEW FLIGHT HOURS PRIOR TO THE OCCURRENCE.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 2,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,597 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 12, 1986; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E8B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MDW Chicago IL at 3:18 am
- Destination: MKC Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:19 am from MDW, 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.
Other NTSB records under N3742C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.