Learjet 60 accident near Wheeling, Illinois, October 22, 2020
On October 22, 2020 at about 3:55 am local time, a 2001 Learjet 60, registered N1128M, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Wheeling, Illinois (Chicago Executive Airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew's misidentification of the landing runway, which resulted in a runway overrun and the airplane’s impact with the airport perimeter fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2020 · about 3:55 am local time
- Place
- Wheeling, Illinois · Chicago Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Learjet 60, built 2001 · all 60s on the register
- Registration
- N1128M · registry record · serial 222
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew of the nonscheduled air taxi airplane inadvertently landed on runway 30 instead of runway 34 at Chicago Executive Airport, Wheeling, Illinois. Before departure, the captain conducted a time-of-arrival landing distance assessment and calculated a factored landing distance of 4,790 ft. The landing distance available on runway 34 was 5,001 ft. During the visual approach to the airport, the flight crew misidentified runway 30 as runway 34; visually aligned with runway 30, which had an available landing distance of 3,983 ft; and used the runway 30 PAPI lights to provide vertical guidance to the runway. Sufficient landing distance was not available on runway 30, and the captain steered the airplane to the left after realizing that it would not be able to stop before the end of the runway surface. The airplane subsequently overran the runway and came to rest by the airport perimeter fence, causing substantial damage to the right wing. The flight crew did not recognize its runway alignment error until after landing.
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
What happened, in order
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Flight crew
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Flight crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,863 hours in all; 1,359 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days; 14,939 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 13, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,530 hours in all; 470 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 2,788 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 26, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,986.9 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 24, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 23,500 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W Canada 305A (turbofan); 2,585 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada 305A (turbofan); 8,257 hours total
- Operator: Worldwide Jet Charter Inc
The flight
- Departed from: KCGF Cleveland OH at 2:58 am
- Destination: KPWK Wheeling IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 30, 4,415 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 080° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 16.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 am from KPWK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA21LA011.