Cessna 150M accident near Franklin, Wisconsin, October 26, 1993
On October 26, 1993 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N9259U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Franklin, Wisconsin. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI) TO USE CARBURETOR HEAT DURING THE SIMULATED ENGINE FAILURE, WHICH RESULTED IN CARBURETOR ICE AND LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS AND THE CROP IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 1993 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Franklin, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9259U · registry record · serial 15078209
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF, THE INSTRUCTOR RETARDED THE THROTTLE TO SIMULATE AN ENGINE FAILURE WITHOUT APPLYING CARBURETOR HEAT. AFTER A DESCENT, THE INSTRUCTOR ADVANCED THE THROTTLE TO REGAIN POWER AND THE ENGINE COUGHED. SHORTLY AFTER THIS, THE PROPELLER STOPPED ROTATING. DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING ROLL IN A GRAIN FIELD, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. NO ANOMALIES WERE FOUND DURING A FULL POWER STATIC RUNUP. THE TEMPERATURE/DEWPOINT AT AN AIRPORT SEVEN MILES FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS 52 AND 41 DEGREES, WHICH WAS CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICING.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 531 hours in all; 228 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 500 as pilot in command; 228 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,278 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 10, 1993; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A4B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rainbow Airport, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Y78 at 10:15 pm
- Destination: Y78
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from MKE, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.