Cessna 172P accident near Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin, January 21, 2001
On January 21, 2001 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N53118, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin (Sauk-Prairie 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 improper trim setting and the pilot failed to maintain control of the airplane. A factor was the snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 2001 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin · Sauk-Prairie Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N53118 · no longer on the register · serial 17274688
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he planned to practice solo soft-field takeoffs, short-field takeoffs, and normal landings. It had been over two months since he had practiced those takeoff procedures. He reported that during the takeoff roll from a hard surface runway, the nose shot "... straight up, very fast and very high in front of me. This was totally unexpected to me." He reported the airplane started veering to the left and he applied right rudder, but he did not release the back pressure on the yoke. He reported he realized that he did not have the airplane under control and he pulled the throttle to idle. The airplane impacted a snow bank on the left side of the runway and nosed over. He reported he discovered that the airplane had been trimmed nose up.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 63 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 13 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,656 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 24, 2000; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSN Madison WI at 10:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,940 ft by 32 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from MSN, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.