Cessna 172C accident near Waupun, Wisconsin, March 1, 1986
On March 1, 1986 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Cessna 172C, registered N1636Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waupun, Wisconsin (Waupun airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- March 1, 1986 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Waupun, Wisconsin · Waupun · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172C · all 172Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1636Y · registry record · serial 17249336
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARRIVAL FOR A X-WIND LANDING, THE PLT MADE A HIGH APCH & USED FULL FLAPS TO STEEPEN HIS DSCNT OVER TREES NEAR THE APCH END OF THE RWY. HE STATED THAT THE TOUCHDOWN WAS NORMAL, BUT BEFORE HE COULD RAISE THE FLAPS, THE X-WIND PUSHED THE PLANE TO THE LEFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A SNOWBANK & NOSED OVER.
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: 124 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 79 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UES Waukesha WI at 6:00 pm
- Destination: WI07
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:08 pm from OSH, 28 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.