Cessna 152 accident near Woodstock, Illinois, November 24, 1997
On November 24, 1997 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49908, was substantially damaged in an accident near Woodstock, Illinois (Robert Hughes Farm airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to see-and-avoid the powerlines on short final. The location of the powerlines was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1997 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Woodstock, Illinois · Robert Hughes Farm · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49908 · no longer on the register · serial 15281386
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he was en route to Harvard, Illinois, in the vicinity of an airstrip, when the airstrip's owner contacted the pilot over the radio and invited him to land. The pilot said that he had overflown the airstrip on previous occasions and knew that it was long enough for him to land, but he was unaware of any obstacles in the vicinity of the airstrip. On short final, the pilot saw some powerlines crossing the approach end of the airstrip. The pilot tried to fly under them, but the leading edge of the airplane's vertical stabilizer impacted a wire. The airplane yawed, pitched up slightly, then dropped to the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
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, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,936 hours in all; 874 in this make and model; 138 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 3,751 as pilot in command; 1,330 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,202 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1997; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DPA West Chicago IL at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from UGN, 31 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.