Beech A36 accident near Wausau, Wisconsin, October 17, 2012
On October 17, 2012 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N121VP, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (IFR final approach) near Wausau, Wisconsin (Wausau Downtown Airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to attempt an instrument approach in meteorological conditions below approach minimums and his failure to properly execute a missed approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2012 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wausau, Wisconsin · Wausau Downtown Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N121VP · no longer on the register · serial E-937
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during the instrument landing system approach, the destination airport's weather system was reporting conditions below approach minimums. However, he chose to attempt the approach and, if necessary, execute a missed approach and hold until conditions improved. He stated that he usually set the decision altitude and lowered the landing gear at the final approach fix and that he thought that he had accomplished this on the accident approach; however, he stated that he did not remember hearing the decision altitude aural warning. He added that, when he was preparing the airplane for a missed approach, he saw the hills and trees, which the airplane then impacted. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach (IFR final approach) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Operating environment › Air traffic/operating proc › Missed approach procedure › Compliance w/ procedure
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,167 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1,113 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 23, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,750 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2011
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 550 SERIES (piston); 1,895 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UES Waukesha WI at 12:20 pm
- Destination: AUW Wausau WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12, 5,198 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.36 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from AUW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on January 16, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.