Cessna Skyhawk 172 accident near Wausau, Wisconsin, December 8, 2007
On December 8, 2007 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna Skyhawk 172, registered N2151J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wausau, Wisconsin (Wausau Downtown airport). It was a personal 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 pilot failed to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors that contributed to the accident included the snow on the runway and the snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 2007 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wausau, Wisconsin · Wausau Downtown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna Skyhawk 172
- Registration
- N2151J · registry record · serial 17-80679
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported completing three takeoffs and full stop landings on runway 30, and then he switched to runway 04 (3078 feet long, 100 feet wide, ice, snow covered). After landing on runway 04, the airplane skidded on a patch of packed snow and the pilot reported that he "Lost control. Plane ran off side of runway." The pilot tried to hold the yoke back but the nosewheel dug into soft snow on the side of the runway and the airplane nosed over. The pilot was not injured. He did not report any mechanical malfunctions. The right wing rear spar was bent.
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: 158 hours in all; 158 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 57 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2007; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AUW Wausau WI
- Destination: AUW
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 3,078 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 11,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 9°F (-13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.39 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from AUW
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.