Cessna 172K accident near Portage, Wisconsin, February 26, 2005
On February 26, 2005 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N7325G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Portage, Wisconsin (Portage Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the aborted landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall at a low altitude. Factors to the accident were the pilot's lack of experience flying from the right pilot station and his failure to maintain directional control during landing rollout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 26, 2005 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Portage, Wisconsin · Portage Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N7325G · no longer on the register · serial 17259025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane stalled and impacted the runway during an aborted landing. The pilot reported that the accident flight was with a prospective new flying club member. The pilot stated that the club required new members complete a check-out flight with a current member. The prospective new member (passenger) held a student pilot certificate and had flown solo prior to the accident flight. The pilot held a private pilot certificate and had accumulated 73 hours as pilot-in-command (PIC). The pilot was not a flight instructor and was acting as PIC for the entire flight. The pilot was seated at the right pilot station and the passenger was seated at the left pilot station. The pilot reported that he had "never piloted from the right position before." The pilot reported that the passenger flew three landing approaches and each attempt terminated in a go-around maneuver. After the third landing attempt, the passenger asked the pilot to "demonstrate a landing." The pilot stated that he assumed aircraft control during the downwind leg for runway 17. He reported his final approach was flown with full flaps and an uneventful touchdown was made on the runway. He stated that during rollout the airplane "started to veer toward the right" and that he "incorrectly applied the right rudder instead of left." The pilot decided to perform an aborted landing in order to "demonstrate a better landing." The pilot reported he applied full engine power and "lifted the flaps briefly (but not fully)." He stated that he thought the flaps were "up more" and that he became "flustered" as the airplane "pitched up." He reported that the airplane "stalled" about 30-50 feet above the ground, and that he was "able to pull the nose up so that we landed hard on the [landing] gear."
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 142 hours in all; 119 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 73 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 22, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C47 Portage WI
- Destination: C47 Portage WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,775 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 am from DLL, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.