Hawker Siddeley DH-125-3A accident near Waukegan, Illinois, May 30, 1994
On May 30, 1994 at about 11:42 pm local time, a Hawker Siddeley DH-125-3A, registered N900CD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waukegan, Illinois (Waukegan Regional Airport). It was a positioning 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
was the pilot-in-command disregarding the location of the flight manifest container in the cockpit. Factor's associated with the accident were a jammed control column and inadequate procedures for the use and storage of the flight manifest container on the part of company management.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 1994 · about 11:42 pm local time
- Place
- Waukegan, Illinois · Waukegan Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hawker Siddeley DH-125-3A
- Registration
- N900CD · registry record · serial 111
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CORPORATE JET'S SINK RATE INCREASED DURING SHORT FINAL APPROACH. THE C0PILOT APPLIED ELEVATOR BACK PRESSURE AND NOSE UP TRIM. THE SINK RATE CONTINUED TO INCREASE. THE CAPTAIN OBSERVED THE COPILOT'S EFFORTS AND BEGAN APPLYING BACK PRESSURE ON HIS CONTROL YOKE. THROUGH COMBINED EFFORTS OF BOTH PILOTS THEY WERE ABLE TO INCREASE THE PITCH ENOUGH THAT THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAIN GEAR FIRST. HOWEVER, THE TOUCHDOWN WAS HARD. THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A TRIP MANIFEST CONTAINER WAS LODGED BETWEEN THE COPILOT'S CONTROL YOKE COLUMN AND SEAT FRAME. THE PILOTS STATED THE CONTAINER IS REQUIRED TO BE CARRIED IN THE COCKPIT DURING FLIGHTS. BOTH PILOTS SAID THERE IS NO DESIGNATED SPACE IN THE COCKPIT TO RETAIN THE CONTAINER.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 950 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 8,800 as pilot in command; 4,100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 24, 1994; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 21,700 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce VIPER 52201 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: D.B. Aviation/Ditka CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheeling IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from UGN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.