What happened
During a nighttime descent toward DuPage Airport, a twin engine airplane encountered challenging meteorological conditions characterized by fog and a low cloud ceiling. As the aircraft was performing its final approach, it experienced an aerodynamic stall. The plane impacted the ground several miles before reaching the runway threshold, subsequently catching fire. The impact and resulting post-crash fire caused the total destruction of the aircraft. There were seven fatalities among the occupants.
At the time of the accident, the airport control tower was not in operation. Additionally, both the runway lighting and the approach lighting systems were inactive during the flight's arrival phase.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the primary cause of the accident was an aerodynamic stall occurring during the approach, which happened after the pilot's attention was diverted from the necessary flight controls. Several contributing factors were identified in the report:
- Failure to maintain the required airspeed
- Improper execution of IFR procedures
- Presence of fog and low cloud ceilings
- Flight conditions falling below established circling minimums
- Lack of operational approach and runway lighting
- Pilot fatigue