Cessna A152 accident near West Bend, Wisconsin, May 8, 1985
On May 8, 1985 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna A152, registered N4799A, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Bend, Wisconsin (West Bend 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 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
- May 8, 1985 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- West Bend, Wisconsin · West Bend · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A152 · all A152s on the register
- Registration
- N4799A · registry record · serial A1520893
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT DEPARTED FONDULAC, WI, WITH FULL FUEL (24.5 GALLONS USABLE) AND FLEW APRX 25 MILES SOUTH WHERE 2 1/2 HRS WERE SPENT TAKING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS. FLT THEN PROCEEDED APRX 60 MILES TO MANITOWOC, WI WHERE A LANDING WAS MADE. DEPARTURE WAS THEN MADE WITH APRX 9 GALLONS OF FUEL ONBOARD FOR WEST BEND, WI (APRX 48 MILES AWAYS). ON FINAL APCH ENGINE QUIT. FORCED LANDING MADE IN SOFT TERRAIN AND NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. ACFT NOSED OVER. APRX 1 QT FUEL DRAINED OUT OF ACFT WHEN TURNED OVER. ADDITIONAL 3 OZ WAS LATER DRAINED. FUEL WAS ADDED TO ACFT AND TEST RUN WAS PERFORMED. ENGINE OPERATED WITHOUT DIFFICULTY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 1,032 in the last 90 days; 1,460 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MTW Manitowoa WI at 5:45 pm
- Destination: ETB West Bend WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from MKE, 30 miles away
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.