Cessna 150M accident near La Crosse, Wisconsin, February 18, 1994
On February 18, 1994 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704CE, was substantially damaged in an accident near La Crosse, 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
THE FAILURE OF THE EXHAUST VALVE IN THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER. THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR THE FORCED LANDING WAS A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 1994 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- La Crosse, Wisconsin
- 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
- N704CE · registry record · serial 15078498
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT WERE PRACTICING STEEP TURNS WHEN THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE LOST ALL POWER. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A SNOW COVERED FIELD. THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER DURING THE LANDING ROLL. INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED A FRACTURED EXHAUST VALVE IN THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,061 hours in all; 686 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 914 as pilot in command; 588 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,552 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 3, 1993; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Certified Flight INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ONA Winona MN at 3:45 pm
- Destination: ONA MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.