Cessna 172 accident near Stevens Point, Wisconsin, November 26, 1995
On November 26, 1995 at about 6:58 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6293F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stevens Point, Wisconsin (Stevens Point Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
flying into known icing conditions and descending below the minimum descent altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 1995 · about 6:58 pm local time
- Place
- Stevens Point, Wisconsin · Stevens Point Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6293F · no longer on the register · serial 17273184
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was advised that icing conditions existed and were forecast along his route of flight. The pilot reported that ten minutes from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, he began picking up ice on his windscreen. He requested a full VOR approach. The pilot reported picking up 3/4 inch of ice during the approach. The pilot descended to the minimum descent altitude (MDA) and did not have the airport in sight. He saw a road and descended below the MDA and continued toward the airport. He saw the airport when he was over the top of it, and he tried a circling approach to runway 12. The pilot reported that the engine failed and the airplane hit trees and nosed into the ground. A witness at the airport reported that the airplane flew over the airport at 50 to 75 feet and that the engine sounded fine. He reported that the airplane disappeared into the haze and impacted the ground a short time later. An inspection of the engine indicated that the engine had continuity and there were no indications of mechanical problems.
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: 935 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 183 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 838 as pilot in command; 495 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,518 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 1995; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y70 Ionia MI at 5:30 pm
- Destination: DLH Duluth MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 30, 3,642 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 2.8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from AUW, 24 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.