Cessna 172M accident near Oxford, Wisconsin, September 11, 2014
On September 11, 2014 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 172M, registered N3510Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Oxford, Wisconsin (Polish Paradise Airport). It was a personal 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 pilot did not compensate for the decrease in the crosswind when he descended below the tree line during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 2014 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Oxford, Wisconsin · Polish Paradise Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M M, built 1973 · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N3510Q · no longer on the register · serial 17261656
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he was landing on runway 36 when the accident occurred. He listened to the automated weather reporting station from an airport 13 miles away and the wind was reported as being from 350 degrees at 5 knots. He stated he established a crab angle to compensate for the wind while on final approach. Upon reaching an altitude of 50 feet above the ground, he noticed a decrease in the crosswind and an increased sink rate. The airplane traveled to the left side of the airstrip where it contacted high brush. The airplane yawed further to the left where it contacted trees resulting in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,195 hours in all; 2,055 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,060 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 3, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,709 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 18, 2014; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320-E2D (piston); 3,841 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: RAC Racine WI at 10:30 pm
- Destination: RAC Oxford WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,000 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 11:25 pm from DLL, 13 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.