Cessna 150D accident near Baraboo, Wisconsin, March 20, 2011
On March 20, 2011 at about 11:27 pm local time, a Cessna 150D, registered N4178U, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Baraboo, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and his decision to continue the flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a subsequent loss of airplane control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 2011 · about 11:27 pm local time
- Place
- Baraboo, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150D · all 150Ds on the register
- Registration
- N4178U · no longer on the register · serial 15060178
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument-rated student pilot departed on a 108-nautical-mile cross-country flight. About the time of departure, a weather reporting station near the departure airport reported visual meteorological conditions with few clouds at 8,000 feet above ground level (agl) and 10 miles of visibility. About this time, a weather reporting station near the destination airport was reporting instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with 4 miles of visibility and an overcast ceiling at 700 feet agl. That station, about 10 miles from the accident site, continued to report IMC through the time of the accident. About 10 minutes after the accident time, the weather consisted of a 700-foot overcast ceiling and 2 1/2 miles of visibility. There was no record that the pilot had obtained a weather briefing prior to the flight. The radar track of the accident flight was not a straight-line course and contained several course and altitude changes. During the last 15 miles of the flight, the flight path was jagged and culminated in a right turn with the airplane completing about 1 1/2 turns before the end of the data. The last radar position was about 0.57 miles from the accident site and about 1,600 feet agl. The airplane was equipped with gyroscopic instruments, but the pilot had only accumulated 0.5 hours of simulated instrument training when the accident occurred. He did not have an instructor’s endorsement to conduct the cross-country flight and was carrying a passenger, contrary to regulations.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Decision related to condition
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Student pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 55 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 17 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3CK Lake In The Hil IL at 10:00 pm
- Destination: C35 Reedsburg WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from DLL, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.