Cessna 172M accident near Middleton, Wisconsin, December 18, 1986
On December 18, 1986 at about 10:35 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N12841, was substantially damaged in an accident near Middleton, Wisconsin. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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 18, 1986 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Middleton, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12841 · no longer on the register · serial 17262305
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT THE COMPLETION OF A PERIOD OF INSTRUMENT TRAINING AND WHILE RETURNING TO THE AIRPORT OF ORIGIN THE CFI ASKED THE PRIVATE RATED DUAL STUDENT TO DEMONSTRATE A SIMULATED FORCED LANDING TO THE RUNWAY. IN AN ATTEMPT TO LOSE ALTITUDE ON THE FINAL APPROACH THE DUAL STUDENT ALLOWED THE AIRSPEED TO DECAY DURING A SLIPPING MANEUVER AND THE AIRCRAFT STALLED. INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE REMAINED TO ALLOW EITHER THE STUDENT OR THE CFI TO MAKE A RECOVERY BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK SMALL TREES AND SLID THROUGH A DITCH. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST SHORT OF THE RUNWAY.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 15,353 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 182 in the last 90 days; 15,142 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,423 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,220 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: C29 Morey WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.