Cessna 177 accident near Waukesha, Wisconsin, October 22, 1986
On October 22, 1986 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N3436T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waukesha, Wisconsin (Waukesha County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- October 22, 1986 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Waukesha, Wisconsin · Waukesha County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N3436T · no longer on the register · serial 17700736
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, IT WAS A NORMAL FLIGHT AND APPROACH TO RWY 18. ON TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT NOSE DROPPED AND THE ACFT BOUNCED THREE OF FOUR TIMES. THE PLT STATED THAT HE IMMEDIATELY ADDED PWR AND BECAME AIRBORNE, BUT A VIBRATION CAUSED HIM TO CUT PWR AND LAND THE ACFT. THE VIBRATION WAS CAUSED BY THE ROTATION OF THE NOSE WHEEL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,179 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2,322 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,856 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 18, 1986; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,275 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OSH Oshkosh WI at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from MKE, 16 miles away
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.