Cessna 150F accident near Baraboo, Wisconsin, September 25, 1988
On September 25, 1988 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N381VU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Baraboo, Wisconsin (Baraboo airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- September 25, 1988 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Baraboo, Wisconsin · Baraboo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N381VU · no longer on the register · serial 15063201
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE LANDING ON A SOD STRIP WITH AN 11 KNOT QUARTERING TAILWIND, THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTED TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY AND ENCOUNTERED UNEVEN TERRAIN. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE FAILED TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND WAS UNABLE TO AVOID A DITCH WITH STANDING WATER IN IT. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE DITCH AND NOSED OVER.
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: 1,600 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,410 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 9, 1987; 248 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C35 Reedsburg WI at 5:50 pm
- Destination: C85 Baraboo WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 2,715 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 pm from MSN, 30 miles away
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.