Cessna 172RG accident near Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, February 20, 1987
On February 20, 1987 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N4601V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Camp Douglas, Wisconsin (Volk Ang Base 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
- February 20, 1987 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Camp Douglas, Wisconsin · Volk Ang Base · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N4601V · registry record · serial 172RG0336
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PASSENGER RPRTD THAT ABOUT 5 MIN AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT BECAME INCAPACITATED & WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE ACFT. THE NON-CERTIFICATED PASSENGER ASSUMED CONTROL. WITH THE ASSISTANCE (INSTRUCTIONS) FROM AN AIRBORNE FLT INSTRUCTOR & AN INSTRUCTOR IN THE CONTROL TOWER AT VOLK ANG BASE, THE PASSENGER WAS ABLE TO MAKE A LANDING, BUT THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED DURING THE OCCURRENCE. A PATHOLOGICAL EXAM REVEALED THERE WAS A COMPLETE DISSECTION OF ASCENDING AORTA, CIRCUMFERENTIAL, 3 CM ABOVE THE AORTIC VALVE WITH CYSTIC MEDIAL NECROSIS & A SUBSEQUENT CARDIAC TAMPONADE.
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: 1,151 hours in all; 869 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 1,086 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 1986; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y72 Tomah WI at 2:45 pm
- Destination: SBM Sheboygan WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from VOK
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.