Cessna 152 accident near Beecher, Illinois, August 15, 1998
On August 15, 1998 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89648, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beecher, Illinois. It was a business 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
Fuel exhaustion due to fuel mismanagement by the pilot-in-command. The rough terrain was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 1998 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Beecher, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89648 · registry record · serial 1528216
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot then reported that he had landed at Greater Kankakee Airport to obtain fuel but the fuel services at the airport were closed, so the pilot departed at approximately 2105 to complete his return to Lansing Municipal Airport when the engine quit and the pilot then executed a forced landing into a field. Examination of the fuel tanks revealed no fuel to be present in either tank.
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
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 6 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,400 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0235-42C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Skyline Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Kankakee IL
- Destination: IGQ Lansing IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:10 am from IKK, 18 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.