Cessna 172N accident near Middleton, Wisconsin, January 4, 2024
On January 4, 2024 at about 6:46 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 172N, registered N3477E, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Middleton, Wisconsin (Middleton 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 during the takeoff roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 2024 · about 6:46 pm local time
- Place
- Middleton, Wisconsin · Middleton Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N, built 1978 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N3477E · registry record · serial 17271563
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll, the airplane veered to the left of the runway centerline, and the solo student pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and nosed over in a marshy area, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder and right-wing lift strut. Postaccident examination did not reveal any anomaly with the airplane’s flight control systems or nosewheel steering. Tire abrasions noted on the runway were consistent with the left main landing gear tire and indicated a trajectory toward the left side of the runway. Although the left main landing gear wheel exhibited more resistance than the right wheel during hand rotation, and the left brake assembly anchor bolts showed corrosion and surface pitting, there was no evidence that the left brake had locked up. Further, the three evenly spaced linear tire impressions in the grass extending from the runway edge to the wreckage suggest that the wheels were rotating freely before the airplane nosed over. The student pilot’s loss of control, which could have resulted from an inadvertent application of the left brake during the takeoff roll, resulted in the runway excursion.
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
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear brakes system › Incorrect service/maintenance
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 93 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 18 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,473.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 19, 2023; 15.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 4,011 hours total
- Operator: Morey Airplane CO. Inc.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 4,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from MSN, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KMSN 041853Z 20004KT 10SM OVC030 M02/M08 A3030 RMK AO2 SLP275 T10221083
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on January 14, 2026. 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 | NTSB 6120 1 Form | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Mor FAA Examination Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | C172 Maintenance Publication Excerpts | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Airframe Logbook Entry | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | NTSB Wreckage Release Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N3477E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.