- Date
- January 5, 2026, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Round Lake Park, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N101FACessna 150
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260105001859A
- Case key
- 202266
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
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a soft-field takeoff and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that her student was performing a simulated soft-field takeoff from a paved runway. Once the nose landing gear lifted off the runway, the airplane began to drift to the left. The instructor stated that she attempted to correct the drift while instructing the student to apply more right rudder. The airplane continued to drift to the left side of the runway as the main wheels lifted; the instructor reported she then took the flight controls to correct the drift, but was not able to regain directional control of the airplane before the left wing impacted trees. After the impact with the trees, the airplane rotated about 270° and came to rest upright, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s aft fuselage. The instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The instructor further reported that the accident could have been prevented if she was “shadowing” the flight controls and taken the flight controls sooner.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N101FA
- Reported as
- Cessna 150 (L)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15072843
- Built
- 1971
- Airframe hours
- 1,622
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Stiletto Beaver Touchdown LLC, doing business as Na
- Registered owner
- Stiletto Beaver Touchdown LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 3, 2025 · 40 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- C81 · Campbell Airport, runway 27, 3,270 × 40 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 29, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,291.2 total · 351.1 in this make and model · 889.9 as pilot in command · 56.8 in the last 90 days · 17.1 in the last 30 days · 3.7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 18
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 14 total · 14 in this make and model · 14 in the last 90 days · 8.3 in the last 30 days · 1.7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- KUGN, 11 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KUGN 052051Z 08005KT 10SM CLR 03/00 A2982 RMK AO2 SLP108 T00280000 53002 $=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 30, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.