Cessna 150M accident near Norwalk, Wisconsin, January 31, 1988
On January 31, 1988, a Cessna 150M, registered N9458U, was destroyed in an accident near Norwalk, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- January 31, 1988
- Place
- Norwalk, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9458U · no longer on the register · serial 15078406
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MADE SEVERAL CALLS TO THE FSS AND OBTAINED WEATHER BRIEFINGS FOR REPORTED AND FORECAST IFR CONDITIONS ALONG HIS PROPOSED ROUTE OF FLIGHT. AFTER DEPARTURE FROM SPARTA, WISCONSIN IN WEATHER DESCRIBED BY WITNESSES TO BE BELOW VMC, THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN A FIELD APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT ON THE APPROXIMATE COURSE TO HIS DESTINATION AIRPORT AT AN ELEVATION OF 1400 FEET MSL. THE ELEVATION OF THE AIRPORT DEPARTED IS 811 FEET MSL.
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: 179 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 99 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,114 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1987; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D74 Sparta WI
- Destination: MSN Madison WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.