Cessna 182N accident near Wissota, Wisconsin, March 8, 1987
On March 8, 1987 at about 1:15 am local time, a Cessna 182N, registered N92840, was destroyed in an accident near Wissota, Wisconsin (Wissota airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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 8, 1987 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Wissota, Wisconsin · Wissota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182N · all 182Ns on the register
- Registration
- N92840 · no longer on the register · serial 18260386
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ATTEMPTING A NIGHT LANDING, BY USE OF CAR HEADLIGHTS, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK WIRES AND DESCENDED OUT OF CONTROL INTO THE TERRAIN. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE PILOT SEEMED LOW DURING THE FINAL APPROACH. THE PRIVATE AIRPORT WAS NOT LIGHTED.
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: 602 hours in all; 143 in this make and model; 561 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,533 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 1986; 196 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OEO Osceola WI
- Destination: 4WI0 Wissota WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 45°F (7°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.