Cessna 177B accident near Iola, Wisconsin, July 6, 1990
On July 6, 1990 at about 9:53 pm local time, a Cessna 177B, registered N30666, was destroyed in an accident near Iola, Wisconsin (Central County 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL/SPIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S POORLY PLANNED APPROACH, AND HIS FAILURE TO GO AROUND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 1990 · about 9:53 pm local time
- Place
- Iola, Wisconsin · Central County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N30666 · no longer on the register · serial 17701393
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER A LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 4 AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 2000 FT AGL. AT ABOUT THE MID-FIELD POINT, THE POWER WAS REDUCED. A WITNESS RPRTD THE ACFT WAS TOO HIGH TO LAND & THE PLT INITIATED A LEFT TURN TO SPIRAL DOWN. DURING THE SPIRAL, POWER WAS INCREASED AND THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A SPIN. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CRASHED ABOUT 150 YARDS SHORT OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 4.
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: 685 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 507 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,115 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 29, 1989; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLI Clintonville WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from ATW, 25 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.