Cessna 172A accident near Tomah, Wisconsin, June 20, 1987
On June 20, 1987 at about 1:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172A, registered N7189T, was destroyed in an accident near Tomah, Wisconsin (Tomah Bloyer airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 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
- June 20, 1987 · about 1:25 pm local time
- Place
- Tomah, Wisconsin · Tomah Bloyer · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172A · all 172As on the register
- Registration
- N7189T · no longer on the register · serial 46789
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD FLOWN A CLOSED PATTERN AND WAS MAKING TOUCH AND GO LANDING. A WITNESS SAW THE ACFT BOUNCE AND THEN INITIATE A GO AROUND. THE SURVIVING PAX SAID THE STALL WARNING HORN WAS SOUNDING 'A LONG TIME.' AT MIDPOINT OF DOWNWIND LEG THE ACFT STALLED OUT. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A VERTICAL DIVE. POST ACC TEARDOWN OF THE ENG REVEALED IT WAS CAPABLE OF NORMAL OPERATION. NO MALFUNCTIONS OF THE ACFT WERE FOUND. THE FLAPS WERE FOUND SET AT 20 DEGREES DOWN OSITION. THE CARB HEAT CONTROL WAS DESTROYED IN THE CRASH SO ITS SETTING 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: 264 hours in all; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 194 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,718 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 1987; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y72 Tomah WI at 1:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,587 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:57 pm from VOK, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N7189T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.