Cessna 140 accident near Springbrook, Wisconsin, January 1, 1983
On January 1, 1983 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N89399, was substantially damaged in an accident near Springbrook, Wisconsin (Springbrook airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 1983 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Springbrook, Wisconsin · Springbrook
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N89399 · registry record · serial 8431
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A FOUR FT SNOWBANK AT THE RWY THRESHOLD DURING LANDING. THIS WAS A DUAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLT WITH THE STUDENT IN THE RIGHT SEAT. THE CFI HAD MADE NO LANDINGS IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF ACFT IN THE PREVIOUS 90 DAYS. THE PILOT STATED THAT DUE TO THE LIGHTING AND SNOW IN THE BACKGROUND THE DEFINITION OF THE SNOWBANK WAS HARD TO DISTINGUISH DURING THE APPROACH.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 326 hours in all; 107 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 275 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,714 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 24, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RIE Rice Lake WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI83LA074.