Cessna 170B accident near Waupaca, Wisconsin, February 19, 1994
On February 19, 1994 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N4685C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waupaca, Wisconsin (Waupaca Municipal airport). It was a personal 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 PILOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE GUSTY CROSSWIND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 1994 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Waupaca, Wisconsin · Waupaca Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4685C · no longer on the register · serial 25629
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing crosswind landings on runway 12. The wind was reported to be out of the southwest at 15 knots gusting to 20 knots. The pilot lost control during landing roll. When the pilot regained control the airplane was on the grass and paralleling the runway. The airplane struck a snowdrift and nosed-over.
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: 300 hours in all; 87 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 219 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 3,900 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from CWA, 44 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.