What happened
On December 17, 2025, at approximately 1349 CST, a Piper PA-30, registration N8693Y, was involved in an accident near West Chicago, Illinois. The aircraft was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 for a personal flight. After receiving takeoff clearance for runway 20R, the pilot made no further radio communications.
Airport surveillance video showed the aircraft drifting right of the runway centerline during the initial climb, reaching a maximum altitude of approximately 75 feet above ground level. The aircraft maintained a nose-high attitude and exhibited left and right banking. The right bank angle eventually increased to approximately 90°, after which the airplane impacted the terrain in a nose-low, right-wing-low attitude.
The accident resulted in 2 fatal injuries to the pilot and the pilot-rated passenger.
The main wreckage was located approximately 567 feet west of runway 20R, south of taxiway T. The initial point of impact was about 106 feet east of the main wreckage, with a path from impact to wreckage following a magnetic heading of 255°. The aircraft came to rest upright on its extended main landing gear. The left engine was found inverted on top of the left wing, while the right engine remained hanging from the nacelle firewall. The forward fuselage showed accordion crushing, and the fuselage fractured aft of the rear seats.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft revealed no anomalies in the engines or flight controls that would have prevented normal operation. Witnesses at the scene reported that the engines sounded normal during the accident sequence. The left engine propeller was found embedded in an impact crater 45 feet from the main wreckage, with ground scars consistent with propeller strikes observed nearby.