Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / CHI87LA001

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CHI87LA001

1986-10-05 WEST CHICAGO, Illinois, United States Airport · DPA None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE STUDENT PILOT ASSUMED HE HAD FULL FUEL TANKS PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT FOR APPROXIMATELY 4.4 HOURS. JUST PRIOR TO HIS FINAL LANDING HE WAS FORCED TO GO AROUND DUE TO AN AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY. FOLLOWING THIS GO AROUND HE ESTABLISHED HIMSELF ON BASE LEG. AT THIS POINT HE RAN OUT OF FUEL. HE WAS UNAWARE THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN FLOWN FOR 1.1 HOURS TWO DAYS AFTER IT WAS FULLY FUELED AND EIGHT DAYS PRIOR TO HIS 4.4 HOUR FLIGHT. THEREFORE THE AIRCRAFT HAD FLOWN FOR APPROXIMATELY 5.6 HOURS WHEN IT RAN OUT OF FUEL. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1986_CHI87LA001.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.