Cessna 172M accident near Waupaca, Wisconsin, March 15, 2010
On March 15, 2010 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N1472U, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Waupaca, Wisconsin (Waupaca Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while taking off in gusting winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2010 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Waupaca, Wisconsin · Waupaca Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1472U · registry record · serial 17267139
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he rotated about 60 knots to a nose-up attitude during takeoff. He said that the left wing raised “abruptly” due to a wind gust and that he overcorrected with left aileron and “set the plane back down on the runway.” The airplane was then heading for the edge of the runway and the pilot reduced the airplane throttle. The airplane exited the runway, including its safety area, and nosed over in a plowed field. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident flight.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Runway excursion during takeoff defining event
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 31 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,762.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 18, 2009
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Riverside Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: PCZ Waupaca WI at 7:20 pm
- Destination: PCZ Waupaca WI
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 10, 5,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 7:38 pm from PCZ, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.