Cessna 150 accident near Glidden, Wisconsin, December 28, 1985
On December 28, 1985 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N8687S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glidden, Wisconsin. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- December 28, 1985 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Glidden, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N8687S · no longer on the register · serial N8678S
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH POWERLINES WHILE ATTEMPTING A POWER OFF LANDING AFTER ENGINE STOPPAGE. THE FUEL TANKS WERE INSPECTED AND THERE WAS NO FUEL IN THE RIGHT TANKS AND ONLY A SMALL QUANTITY IN THE LFT TANK. THE ENGINE WAS TESTED AND FOUND TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE FUEL QUANTITY INDICATORS WERE INSPECTED WITH THE WINGS IN A LEVEL POSITION AND THE FUEL TANKS EMPTY. EACH INDICATOR NEELE WAS IN OR BELOW THE EMPTY RED RADIAL. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD CHECKED HIS FUEL GAUGES TEN MILES BEFORE THE ENGINE QUIT. WHEN INTERVIEWED, THE PILOT STATED THAT 'IN MY CAR I CAN DRIVE ON EMPTY FOR A WHILE.
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
- Flight time: 43 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,364 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CO2 Lake Geneva WI at 12:50 pm
- Destination: ASX Ashland WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 7°F (-14°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.