Cessna 172L accident near West Bend, Wisconsin, March 6, 1988
On March 6, 1988, a Cessna 172L, registered N7089Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Bend, Wisconsin (West Bend airport). It was a personal 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
- March 6, 1988
- Place
- West Bend, Wisconsin · West Bend · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7089Q · registry record · serial 2072432
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER 30 MINUTES OF LOCAL FLIGHT, ON A DARK NIGHT, THE PILOT INCREASED THE THROTTLE SETTING AFTER SELECTING APPROACH FLAPS. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE ENGINE. A FORCED LANDING WAS INITIATED AND THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND TERRAIN. A SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION OF THE ENGINE, FUEL SUPPLY, MAGNETOS AND INDUCTION SYSTEM REVEALED NOTHING WHICH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE ENGINE FROM DEVELOPING NORMAL POWER.
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: 236 hours in all; 173 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 142 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,246 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1987; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 4,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from MKE, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.