Cessna 150H accident near Tinley Park, Illinois, April 6, 1987
On April 6, 1987 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N50305, was destroyed in an accident near Tinley Park, Illinois. 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
- April 6, 1987 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Tinley Park, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N50305 · no longer on the register · serial 15069212
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES SHORT OF THE DESTINATION ARPT THE PLT STATED THAT THE ENGINE QUIT. THE ACFT WAS LINED UP WITH A ROAD BUT DUE TO HEAVY TRAFFIC THE PLT ELECTED TO STALL THE ACFT INTO NEARBY TREES. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT BY THE FAA FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT DISCLOSED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY FUEL ONBOARD THE ACFT. DURING RETRIEVAL, THE SALVAGE CREW DRAINED 2-3 GALS OUT OF THE RT WING TANK. EXAMINATION OF THE RT WING FUEL CAP VENT DID NOT REVEAL ANY MALFUNCTION.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,800 hours in all; 1,255 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 8,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,300 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 5, 1987; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AXA Algona OH at 11:00 am
- Destination: 3HW Crestwood IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from MDW
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.