Cessna 152 accident near Bloomington, Illinois, March 22, 1999
On March 22, 1999 at about 11:25 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N757MJ, was destroyed in an accident near Bloomington, Illinois (Central Illinois Regional 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 misjudged flare and inadvertent stall during landing. A factor was the pilot's inadequate remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1999 · about 11:25 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Bloomington, Illinois · Central Illinois Regional · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N757MJ · no longer on the register · serial 15279846
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In his written statement, the student pilot stated that he was practicing his soft field landing technique using runway 29 (6500 feet by 150 feet dry/concrete). He said that during the approach to landing, he flared the airplane too high, and he then increased power to recover, but the airplane banked to the left. The pilot stated that he landed hard on the left tire and that he applied full power to initiate an aborted landing. He said that during this time, the flaps were in the 30 degree down position. The pilot stated that the airplane then stalled, and the left wing struck the ground, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. The airplane came to rest in an inverted attitude. Postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting mechanical 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: student
- Flight time: 55 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 18 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,377 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 19, 1998; 102 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BMI at 10:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:26 pm from BMI
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N757MJ: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 152 1,636 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 14 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Central IL Rgnl/Bloomington-Normal Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,055 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI99LA116.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.