Beech 76 accident near New Richmond, Wisconsin, August 4, 1997
On August 4, 1997 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Beech 76, registered N18960, was destroyed in an accident near New Richmond, Wisconsin. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision and delayed remedial action and the flight crew's lack of aircraft control. A factor was loss of control while maneuvering downwind by one of the pilot's.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1997 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- New Richmond, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 76 · all 76s on the register
- Registration
- N18960 · no longer on the register · serial ME-10
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student and flight instructor departed for a local multiengine instructional flight. Witnesses described seeing the airplane approximately 200 feet above the ground heading in a southerly direction. Other witnesses described the airplane attempting a left turn, roll right and descended into a tree and utility pole before hitting the ground. It burst into flames and slid across a street into a house. The manipulator of the controls at the time of the accident could not be determined. Witnesses stated that the engines sounded like they were at full power.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 525 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,658 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 24, 1997; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Wings, INC
The flight
- Departed from: STP St. Paul MN
- Destination: RNH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from STP, 33 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.