Cessna 172H accident near Mosinee, Wisconsin, December 30, 1986
On December 30, 1986 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N3220L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mosinee, Wisconsin (Central Wisconsin Airport). It was an instructional 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
- December 30, 1986 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Mosinee, Wisconsin · Central Wisconsin Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N3220L · registry record · serial 17256120
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI STATED THAT WHILE IN THE LANDING CONFIGURATION, OVER THE APCH END OF THE RWY, THE STUDENT EXCESSIVELY FLARED THE ACFT AND IT STALLED WITH THE RIGHT WING CONTACTING THE RWY. ACCORDING TO THE CFI, POWER WAS ADDED BUT IT WAS TOO LATE TO 'SAVE THE LANDING.'
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 313 hours in all; 126 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 228 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,768 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 15, 1986; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 7,645 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from CWA
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.