- Date
- April 15, 1989, 08:51 local (12:51 UTC)
- Place
- West Chicago, IL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N93748Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 5, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19890415007999A
- Case key
- 11456
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Improper instruction by the student's flight instructor regarding the execution of s-turns on final approach to increase spacing and the retraction of flaps fully when executing a go-around and the failure of the student pilot to maintain adequate flying speed while making steep s-turns on final approach. Contributing factors were: inadequate ATC control tower service and traffic separation, improper supervision in the tower, and inexperience of the student pilot.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Student in Cessna 152 (N93748) was sequenced to lnd bhnd N97M as Beech 90 (N20) was awaiting tkof. As N97M was lndg, N20 was clrd on rwy to hold & the student was clrd to lnd. 39 sec ltr, N20 was clrd for tkof. Shortly thereafter, N93748STALLED and crashed aprx 580' short of the rwy. Witnesses said the student flew fm a close base to a short final apch, then made 2 or 3 steep s-turns at low speed, as if to get more sepn bhnd N20. Tower supvsr (cic) observed inadqt sepn but took no action to correct it. Witnesses said N20 was holding on the rwy when the student began s-turning. Bfr tkof, the plt of N93748 told gnd ctl she was a student. This info was not passed to LCL ctlrs. LCL ctlr was in trng. Neither he nor his instructor knew the plt of N93748 was a student. Aim rcmdd student id on initial call to rdo fac. But, ATC hndbk didn't require info to be fwdd. Flaps were fnd at 10 deg; student was trnd to use full flaps and use s-turns on final for spacing, and to raise flaps full up for go-arnd; POH rcmdd 20 deg of flaps until safe speed was obtained.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N93748
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285546
- Airframe hours
- 3,152
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Planemaster Inc.
- Registered owner
- Robert L. Stevenson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 12, 1989 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- DPA
- Airport
- DPA · Dupage, runway 28, 4,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 33 total · 32 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DPA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.