Cessna 182B accident near Baldwin, Wisconsin, September 21, 1992
On September 21, 1992 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N90BF, was destroyed in an accident near Baldwin, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AS THE PILOT ATTEMPTED VISUAL FLIGHT PROCEDURES IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 1992 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Baldwin, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N90BF · no longer on the register · serial 52147
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS (IMC) DURING CRUISE FLIGHT AT NIGHT. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES AND TERRAIN AS THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO RETURN TO VISUAL FLIGHT CONDITIONS. CRUISE ALTITUDE WAS 2200 FEET. THE NEAREST WEATHER OBSERVATION FACILITY WAS APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES WEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE AND 705 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL (MSL). 45 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THEY REPORTED A 1200 FOOT CEILING. VISIBILITY WAS 7 MILES. THE ELEVATION IN THE ACCIDENT AREA VARIES BETWEEN 1100 AND 1300 FEET MSL. FORECASTS OBTAINED BY THE PILOT PRIOR TO HIS DEPARTURE CALLED FOR MARGINAL VISUAL FLIGHT CONDITIONS DUE TO CEILINGS. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS PARALLELING A HIGHWAY AND USING THE LIGHTS FROM VEHICLES TO JUDGE VISIBILITY. THE LIGHTS BECAME OBSCURED BY CLOUDS AND THE PILOT STARTED A 180 DEGREE TURN. DURING THE TURN THE VISIBILITY WENT TO ZERO. HE TRIED TO REGAIN OUTSIDE VISUAL REFERENCE. WHEN HE LOOKED AT THE INSTRUMENTS THE AIRPLANE WAS IN A LEFT WING LOW DIVE. HE REDUCED POWER, LEVELED, AND PULLED UP THE NOSE. AS THE AIRPLANE LEVELED THEY BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS. THE PILOT SAW THE TREE LINE JUST BEFORE COLLISION.
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: 526 hours in all; 388 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 470 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 14, 1992; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y78 Milwaukee WI at 11:28 pm
- Destination: 21D Lake Elmo MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.