Cessna 150M accident near Plainfield, Illinois, August 18, 1989
On August 18, 1989 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N9329U, was destroyed in an accident near Plainfield, Illinois (Clow Int'L airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT FOLLOWING A PREMATURE LIFT-OFF RESULTING IN AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO THE TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 1989 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Plainfield, Illinois · Clow Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9329U · no longer on the register · serial 15078278
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON INITIAL CLIMBOUT THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED BY WITNESSES TO BE LOW AND TO HAVE THE WINGS ROCKING BACK AND FORTH. WITNESSES THEN DESCRIBED THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTING CONTROLLED FLIGHT AND IMPACTING THE TERRAIN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND BOTH OCCUPANTS SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES.
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: 281 hours in all; 81 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 243 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,842 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 13, 1989; 37 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: 1C5 Plainfield IL at 11:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,370 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from DPA, 12 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.