Cessna 172L accident near Webster, Wisconsin, August 12, 2004
On August 12, 2004 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N3599F, was destroyed in an accident near Webster, Wisconsin. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The high velocity impact with terrain for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2004 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Webster, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N3599F · registry record · serial 17259499
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed during a high velocity impact with terrain. The pilot was cruising at 5,500 feet when he reported a "severe vibration" and that he was diverting to a nearby airport. Aircraft radar track data was collected from radar facilities along the route of flight. The plotted data showed that the accident airplane departed the Minneapolis metropolitan area to the northeast and continued on a northerly heading toward Duluth, Minnesota. The aircraft's ground speed averaged about 100 knots while on the northerly heading. A plot of the radar data indicated that the airplane made a course reversal to a southerly heading just prior to the accident. The last radar return was approximately 0.8 nm northeast of the accident site. During the final 38 seconds of aircraft radar track data, the airplane's calculated ground speed increased from 130 knots to 218 knots while established on the southerly heading. The aircraft's maximum structural cruising speed was 121 knots and the never exceed speed was 151 knots. The current winds aloft forecast indicated that the winds at 3,000 and 6,000 feet were out of the north, between 4 and 12 knots. The wreckage was located in an open area about 950 feet long and 400 feet wide. The initial impact crater was 11 feet long, 7 feet wide and 3 feet deep. A 38 foot long ground depression ran perpendicular to the crater. The ground depression was similar in length to the accident airplane's wingspan. All primary airframe structural components, flight control surfaces, engine components, and propeller blades were located within the debris field. Fragmented wreckage was found up to 190 feet from the initial impact crater. No anomalies were noted with the airframe, flight control systems, engine, or propeller that could be associated with a pre-impact malfunction.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,350 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,496.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2003; 6.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANE Webster WI at 8:03 pm
- Destination: DLH Duluth MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from RZN, 8 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.
Other NTSB records under N3599F 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.