Cessna 172F accident near Danbury, Wisconsin, October 11, 1995
On October 11, 1995 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N8740U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Danbury, Wisconsin. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the partial failure of the left magneto, the road sign, and the road embankment. A factor relating to this accident is the brush which obscured the road sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 1995 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Danbury, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8740U · no longer on the register · serial 17252644
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS CRUISING AT 500 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WHEN THE 'ENGINE STARTED TO RUN ROUGHLY.' HE DECIDED TO LAND THE AIRPLANE AND 'INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM.' ON LANDING ROLL THE AIRPLANE'S RIGHT WING TIP STRUCK A ROAD SIGN, THAT WAS OBSCURED BY BRUSH, WHICH 'SPUN THE AIRPLANE AROUND TO THE RIGHT.' THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE GEAR STRUCK A SAND EMBANKMENT ON THE ROAD'S EDGE AND NOSED OVER. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE FOUND THE LEFT MAGNETO REAR COVER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE MAGNETO'S MAIN CASE EXPOSING THE GEARS AND POINTS. THREE OF THE FOUR SCREWS WHICH HELD THE MAGNETO COVER IN PLACE WERE MISSING. THE FOURTH SCREW HAD SHEARED OFF IN THE CASE. BOTH MAGNETOS WERE TESTED FOR SPARK. NO ABNORMALITIES WERE FOUND. EXAMINATION OF FUEL IN THE TANKS SHOWED EVIDENCE OF WATER AND SEDIMENT.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,250 hours in all; 290 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 2,250 as pilot in command; 812 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,748 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 25, 1995; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UBE Cumberland WI at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:02 pm from SUW, 55 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.