Cessna 150 accident near La Crosse, Wisconsin, October 30, 1983
On October 30, 1983 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N23183, was substantially damaged in an accident near La Crosse, Wisconsin. 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 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 30, 1983 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- La Crosse, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N23183 · registry record · serial 15068777
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS DITCHED IN LAKE ONALASKA AFTER THE ENGINE QUIT ABOUT 1 MILE SHORT OF DESTINATION. AFTER THE ACCIDENT THE ACFT WAS PULLED FROM THE LAKE AND EXAMINED. THE 3 FAA INSPECTORS WHO EXAMINED THE ACFT VERIFIED THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH FUEL IN THE ACFT TO OPERATE THE ENGINE. ALSO THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE. THE PILOT SAID HE SHOULD NOT HAVE RELIED SO MUCH ON THE FUEL GAUGES AND A NEWLY OVERHAULED ENGINE HAS AN UNKNOWN RATE OF FUEL CONSUMPTION.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 37 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,506 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 12, 1983; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSN Madison WI at 5:00 pm
- Destination: LSE La Crosse WI
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.