Cessna 182L accident near Owen, Wisconsin, January 26, 2015
On January 26, 2015 at about 4:44 pm local time, a 1967 Cessna 182L, registered N3181R, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Owen, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's decision to initiate flight into forecasted icing conditions in an airplane that was not certified or equipped for flight into icing conditions, which resulted in significant structural ice accumulation to the extent that the airplane was unable to maintain altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 26, 2015 · about 4:44 pm local time
- Place
- Owen, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182L, built 1967 · all 182Ls on the register
- Registration
- N3181R · no longer on the register · serial 18258581
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident occurred on the third leg of a multi-leg cross-county trip that the flight instructor and the student pilot were making to relocate the airplane, which the student pilot had recently purchased. The flight instructor stated that, before beginning the flight, he obtained a weather briefing indicating icing conditions along the route of flight, but he thought they would be able to get above the weather. Although the airplane was not certified or equipped to fly into icing conditions, the flight instructor elected to initiate the flight. While en route, the airplane accumulated airframe ice despite the flight instructor making several altitude changes in an attempt to reach warmer temperatures. The airplane eventually accumulated enough ice that it was no longer capable of maintaining altitude, which resulted in the flight instructor making an off-airport emergency landing on a country road. The airplane's windshield was iced over restricting the pilot's forward visibility, and during the landing roll, the airplane contacted trees. A postaccident examination of the airplane at the accident site revealed the presence of rime ice on the top and bottom wing surfaces. Additionally, several pieces of concave-shaped ice ranging from 1.5-inches- to 7-inches-long and from 1.5-inches- to 2-inches-wide were located around the accident site. An examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented 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
- Structural icing during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › (general) › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,873.8 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 206 in the last 90 days; 56.2 in the last 30 days; 1,780.9 as pilot in command; 935 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 20, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 33 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,150 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2015; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MNM Menominee MI at 2:28 pm
- Destination: LJF Litchfield MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 0.8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; a few clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from MFI, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 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.