Cessna 172RG accident near Mosinee, Wisconsin, February 8, 1989
On February 8, 1989, a Cessna 172RG, registered N6525V, was destroyed in an accident near Mosinee, Wisconsin. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
SPATIAL DISORIENTATION OF THE PILOT AS A RESULT OF INITIATING THE FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARK NIGHT, SNOW, AND LOW CEILINGS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 1989
- Place
- Mosinee, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6525V · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0751
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
NON INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT GOT A FULL WEATHER BRIEF FROM FLIGHT SERVICE STATION. WEATHER BRIEFER ADVISED PILOT THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED, AND GAVE HIM HAZARDOUS WEATHER ADVISORIES IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA AT THE TIME. AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN DENSELY WOODED AREA APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES SOUTH OF DEPARTURE POINT. AIRPORT MANAGER DESCRIBED THE CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE AS 'DARK, WINDY, AND SNOWING...'.
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: 249 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 179 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,828 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 30, 1988; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Andrew & Mary Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: AUW Wausau WI
- Destination: 1C5 Plainfield IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.