Cessna 172L accident near Delavan, Wisconsin, September 29, 1996
On September 29, 1996 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N7216Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Delavan, Wisconsin (Lake Lawn airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to assure the airplane was properly secured prior to hand-propping the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1996 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Delavan, Wisconsin · Lake Lawn · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7216Q · registry record · serial 17260516
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was unable to start the airplane so he set the parking brake and hand-propped the engine. The unoccupied airplane started, traveled off the ramp and collide with a fence and a ditch prior to coming to rest on the shoulder of a highway. The pilot did not use chocks.
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: 101 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 69 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C-59
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.