An air traffic controller warned a pilot of his low altitude multiple times as he was approaching Chicago Executive Airport before the pilot fatally crashed into trees and a townhouse near Deerfield in March, an NTSB report says.
Chester Wojnicki, 75, of Mount Prospect, died after his plane crashed into trees, a townhouse and a yard in the 800 block of Swallow Street in unincorporated Deerfield at around 9:40 p.m. on March 4.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report on the incident detailed what led up to the incident.
Wojnicki departed his 1976 Cessna T210M Turbo Centurion, with registration number N19FB, from an unknown location, the report said.
The first ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast) data for the plane began southeast of Necedah Airport (DAF) in Necedah, Wisconsin, at around 8:40 p.m.
“According to the pilot’s logbook, he had flown to DAF in the months preceding the accident,” the report said.
Wojnicki was flying back to Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) in Wheeling that night.
Wojnicki was very familiar with the airport and frequented it multiple times a week, friends told Lake & McHenry County Scanner.
At around 8:49 p.m., Wojnicki transitioned from a visual flight rules (VFR) flight to an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan, the report said.
Later that evening, as Wojnicki was conducting his approach for Chicago Executive, the air traffic controller alerted Wojnicki due to his low altitude when he was about six nautical miles northwest of the airport.
“Centurion Niner Foxtrot Bravo — altitude alert, check the altitude immediately. Executive altimeter: 30.04, advise if you need any assistance,” the air traffic controller told Wojnicki, according to audio from Live ATC.
“The pilot acknowledged the low altitude alert, and the airplane climbed about 100 ft but then began to descend,” the report said. “ATC issued another low altitude alert, and the pilot acknowledged the alert again, and said, ‘I am climbing back.'”
“I’m showing you at about a thousand feet off the ground. Check your altimeter settings – 30.04,” the air traffic controller is heard telling Wojnicki.
“Centurion Niner Foxtrot Bravo — I’m showing you in a descent, can you please climb?” the air traffic controller says a short time later.
As Wojnicki got closer to Chicago Executive, he began to drift west of his landing approach course.
The air traffic controller told Wojnicki he was west of course, and there were no further transmissions from Wojnicki, the report said.
The plane then crashed into 50-foot-tall trees and then the roof of a townhouse before coming to a rest upside down in a backyard in the 800 block of Swallow Street, which is about three nautical miles from Chicago Executive.
Throughout his landing approach, the air traffic controller advised Wojnicki of his altitude at least five times, according to air traffic control audio.
Wojnicki was also asked multiple times if he needed assistance.
At the time, visibility was three-quarters of a mile due to dense fog, and winds were 5 knots, according to the report.
One of the townhouse residents was sitting in the second-floor bedroom at the time of the crash and reported “the engine was loud and operating before the airplane impacted the roof,” the report said.
The crash debris field was about 550 feet long and on a magnetic heading of about 50 degrees, or in a northeasterly direction.
Multiple tree branches were cut at 45-degree angles and had a broom straw appearance, the report added.
“At the beginning of the debris field was the left wingtip and part of the left aileron. The debris field consisted of fragmented sections of the outboard left and right wings,” the report said.
“The debris field consisted of fragmented sections of the outboard left and right wings. The propeller assembly separated from the engine and was located in the debris field. All three propeller blades were twisted and exhibited rotational scoring. Two of the propeller blades had gouges in the leading edges. The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage, inboard portions of the wings, and the empennage.”
“The fuel tanks, including the auxiliary tanks, were compromised, and the total fuel at the time of the accident could not be verified. First responders reported a strong smell of aviation fuel on the ground when they arrived. The fuel strainer was removed, and the strainer bowl contained fuel. The fuel selector was on the right tank. The instrument panel was crushed, and the altimeter’s barometric pressure setting in the Kollsman Window displayed 30.04 inHg,” the report added.
The crash summoned dozens of first responders after several residents called 911. Air traffic controllers also contacted emergency services after losing sight and contact with the plane, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said.
Firefighter/paramedics pronounced Wojnicki dead at the scene.
Friends said Wojnicki was a very experienced pilot and remembered him as “generous, helpful, and full of joy.”
Wojnicki was also a very active participant in the Chicagoland aviation community, formerly serving as the president of the American Polish Aero Club in Chicago and as a volunteer with the Illinois Wing Civil Air Patrol.
He was described as mechanically and electrically proficient and would often help other pilots maintain their planes.
The NTSB and FAA have retained Wojnicki’s plane for further examination and continue to investigate the circumstances of the crash.