Cessna 152 N69009 accident near Bolingbrook, Illinois

Preliminary information

On September 29, 2026, about 1828 central daylight time, a Cessna 152 II airplane, N69009, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Bolingbrook, Illinois. The flight instructor and the student pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.

The purpose of the local area flight was for the flight instructor to provide instruction to the student pilot, as part of JWA Flight School. JWA Flight School is based at the Bolingbrook’s Clow International Airport (1C5), Bolingbrook, Illinois.

The airplane had a preflight inspection performed by both the flight instructor and the student pilot, and no abnormalities were noted. The student pilot was stationed in the left front seat, and the flight instructor was stationed in the right front seat. The airplane had about 24.5 gallons of 100 low lead fuel onboard for the flight.

The engine runup process was completed and no abnormalities were noted. During the initial climb from runway 18 at 1C5, the student pilot who was manipulating the flight controls noted that “something was not right.” The flight instructor then immediately assumed the flight controls. She observed the tachometer and noticed that the engine RPM had decreased to about 20 RPM. She then executed the emergency procedure checklist and realized the airplane did not have sufficient engine power to climb due to the partial power loss, and the airplane was losing altitude. She performed a forced landing to a flat grass sports field in a residential area, about 0.25 miles southwest of the departure end of runway 18.

The airplane came to rest upright in a nose-down profile on the grass field. During the impact sequence, the empennage separated about midspan. The student pilot was able to egress from the airplane on his own accord; however, the flight instructor was removed from the airplane by a bystander. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage. The airplane was recovered from the accident site and transported to a secure location for future examination.

The airplane was manufactured in 1978. The airplane was equipped with a Lycoming Engines O-235-L2C reciprocating engine and a McCauley Propeller 1A103/TCM6958 fixed-pitch two-blade aluminum propeller.

A review of the airplane’s maintenance records showed that an annual inspection was performed by a mechanic on July 23, 2026, for the airframe, the engine, and the propeller. Since the annual inspection occurred, the airplane had accumulated 40.9 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated a total of 14,851.9 hours.

The flight instructor completed a flight review on April 24, 2025.

Text from the NTSB; a preliminary report can change and names no cause. Open the NTSB docket for CEN26LA330 for the full record.