Cessna 175 accident near Boscobel, Wisconsin, December 19, 1990
On December 19, 1990 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 175, registered N6626E, was destroyed in an accident near Boscobel, Wisconsin. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND HIS FAILURE TO REMAIN CLEAR OF THE TREES. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 1990 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Boscobel, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N6626E · no longer on the register · serial 56126
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INST RATED PLT, WHO WAS AN A&P MECH & AN AUTHORIZED INSPECTOR, HAD JUST PURCHASED AN ACFT. ON 12/18/90, HE & ANOTHER MECH TRAVELED TO ROCKFORD, IL TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THE ACFT. THEY WORKED ON THE ACFT & THE PLT CERTIFIED AN ANNUAL INSPN. ON 12/19/90, THE PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING FOR A FLT TO KINDRED, ND. THE WX PREVENTED FLT TO KINDRED, BUT THE PLT ELECTED TO FLY AS FAR AS WX WOULD PERMIT. HE TOOK OFF AT ABOUT 1415 CST. A RESIDENT NR BOSCOBEL HEARD AN ACFT FLYING LOW IN HIS VCNTY AT ABOUT 1530 TO 1600 CST. LATER, THE RESIDENT LEARNED THAT AN ACFT WAS MISSING. HE SEARCHED THE AREA & FOUND THE WRECKAGE WHERE THE ACFT HAD HIT TREES WHILE DSCNDG ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING. THE RESIDENT RECALLED THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 200 YDS WHEN HE HEARD THE ACFT BEFORE IT CRASHED. ABOUT 25 MI EAST AT LONE ROCK, WI, THE 1459 CST WX WAS IN PART: 700' OVC, 1-1/2 MI VIS WITH FOG. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND.
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: 357 hours in all; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 303 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1C8 Rockford IL at 8:15 pm
- Destination: 1ND3 Kindred ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 8:59 pm from LNR, 25 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.