Cessna 172 accident near Dekalb, Illinois, April 21, 1996
On April 21, 1996 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6542J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dekalb, Illinois (Dekalb-Taylor Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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 flight instructor's inadequate supervision, and his delay in taking remedial action to regain directional control of the airplane. Factors relating to the accident were: the student's improper flare for landing, improper recovery from a bounced landing, and failure to maintain directional control of the airplane; and the proximity of a pole to the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 1996 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Dekalb, Illinois · Dekalb-Taylor Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6542J · no longer on the register · serial 17273887
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A student pilot and a flight instructor (CFI) were practicing crosswind takeoffs and landings. The student misjudged a landing flare, and the airplane bounced during touchdown. The student added power to abort the landing, but directional control of the airplane was not maintained. The airplane traveled off the left side of the runway into a grass area. The CFI stated he reduced the power as the airplane rolled off the runway into the grass. However, the airplane's right wing contacted a pole located 85 to 100 feet from the runway. The airplane then traveled an additional 500 feet before coming to a stop.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 461 hours in all; 132 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 379 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,430 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 12, 1996; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DPA West Chicago IL at 6:15 pm
- Destination: DKB
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 4,199 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from DPA, 24 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.
Other NTSB records under N6542J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.