Beech 23 accident near Wilmot, Wisconsin, August 10, 1996
On August 10, 1996 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Beech 23, registered N1823Q, was destroyed in an accident near Wilmot, Wisconsin (Westosha airport). 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
improper planning/decision by the flight instructor (CFI) by failing to ensure that the airplane would be able to clear brush and trees near the departure end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1996 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wilmot, Wisconsin · Westosha · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 23 · all 23s on the register
- Registration
- N1823Q · no longer on the register · serial 2328
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A certified flight instructor (CFI) was demonstrating a soft field landing and takeoff to a student pilot. After landing, they back-taxied to the approach end of the 1,480 foot turf runway and initiated a takeoff. After lift-off near the departure end, the airplane hit bushes and would not maintain a positive rate of climb. It then settled into trees and crashed. Using the pilot operating handbook, the ground run on a paved runway was calculated to be 1,276 feet. To clear a 50 foot obstacle after taking off from a paved runway, the required distance was calculated to be 2,211 feet.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,672 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 4,112 as pilot in command; 1,015 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,826 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 30, 1996; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WI10 at 4:00 pm
- Destination: WI10
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 1,480 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from JVL, 37 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.