Piper PA-22-150 accident near West Chicago, Illinois, March 18, 1988
On March 18, 1988 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N2758P, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Chicago, Illinois (Dupage 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
- March 18, 1988 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- West Chicago, Illinois · Dupage · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N2758P · no longer on the register · serial 22-3065
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT JUST AFTER LEVELING OFF, THE ENG STARTED TO SPUTTER. HE INITIATED EMERGENCY PROCEDURES, BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESTORE POWER. DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING AT DUSK, THE ACFT HIT A DITCH & NOSED OVER. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE #3 EXHAUST VALVE HAD FAILED.
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: 141 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 141 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,020 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 1987; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DPA West Chicago IL
- Destination: 06C Schaumburg IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 pm from OPA, 2 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.