Cessna 172N accident near Dodgeville, Wisconsin, October 20, 1984
On October 20, 1984 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734YR, was destroyed in an accident near Dodgeville, Wisconsin (Dodgeville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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 20, 1984 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dodgeville, Wisconsin · Dodgeville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734YR · no longer on the register · serial 17269225
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ATTEMPTED A LANDING ON RWY 30 WHICH IS 85 FT HIGHER IN ELEV AT THE APPROACH END OF THE RWY THAN THE DEPARTURE END. THIS WAS THE PLT'S FIRST FLT TO THIS ARPT. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN FURTHER DOWN THE RWY THAN INTENDED SO THE PLT APPLIED PWR TO ABORT THE LANDING. THE PLT STATED THE WIND WAS GUSTY AND THAT A DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED DURING THE CLIMBOUT WHICH RESULTED IN THE ACFT CONTACTING TREES.
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: 67 hours in all; 67 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 38 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,895 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 13, 1984; 418 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C59 Delavan WI at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,750 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.