Cessna 150L accident near Marion, Illinois, December 5, 1987
On December 5, 1987 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N7533G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marion, Illinois (Williamson County Region airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt. 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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 5, 1987 · about 11:20 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Marion, Illinois · Williamson County Region · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7533G · registry record · serial 15074691
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT IN COMMAND SUFFERED A FATAL HEART ATTACK. HIS WIFE, A PRIVATE PILOT, ATTEMPTED TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT, LOST CONTROL ON LANDING ROLL AND STRUCK A RUNWAY LIGHT.
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: 197 hours in all; 197 in this make and model; 8 in the last 30 days; 171 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,937 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 25, 1987; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K07 Rolla MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 6,502 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from MWA
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7533G on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,993 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Veterans Airport Of Southern Illinois · nearest airport
- Rolla Downtown Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,117 since 1982 · 250 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,055 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI88DEV01.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.