Cessna 177 accident near Portage, Wisconsin, March 29, 1986
On March 29, 1986 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N29849, was destroyed in an accident near Portage, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- March 29, 1986 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Portage, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N29849 · no longer on the register · serial 17700922
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SEVERAL WITNESSES STATED THAT UPON CLIMBOUT FOLLOWING A LOW PASS, SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE ENGINE AND THE ENGINE SPUTTERED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN SEEN IN A STEEP TURN. DURING THIS TURN THE WINGS REACHED A VERTICAL POSITION AND THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED TO THE SURFACE OF A FROZEN LAKE. IT SUBSEQUENTLY SANK BELOW THE ICE. THE LAST TURN OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 250 FEET AGL. THE CAUSE OF THE REPORTED LOSS OF POWER COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
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: 71 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 36 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 771 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 4, 1985; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from MSN, 27 miles away
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.