Piper PA-28-181 accident near Mosinee, Wisconsin, March 7, 1997
On March 7, 1997 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8259M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mosinee, Wisconsin. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The formation of carburetor ice and the instructor pilot's failure to recognize conditions leading to carburetor icing and to take appropriate preventative action. Factors relating to this accident were the late application of carburetor heat, the icing conditions and snow.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 1997 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Mosinee, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N8259M · no longer on the register · serial 28-8190023
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The dual student stated that they were holding in instrument meteorological conditions at 4,000 feet mean sea level (msl) when Minneapolis air route traffic control center (ARTCC) cleared them for the approach. ' We were told overfly the airport at 4,000 feet on the localizer back course and then intercept the ILS. As I left the holding pattern, the engine shook violently for 2 to 3 seconds, followed by complete engine failure. I established a glide and declared an emergency with ARTCC.' The pilots attempted to restart the engine. The airplane broke out of the clouds at approximately 500 feet above the ground and over a forest. The dual student said, 'I looked for the least dense area and headed for that site. We began encountering the trees just as I was attempting to stall the plane. We came to rest in a wooded, swampy area.' Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. According to Department of Transportation/FAA/CT-82/44 Publication: Light Aircraft Piston Engine Carburetor Ice Detector/Warning Device Sensitivity/Effectiveness, June 1982, Carburetor Icing Probability Chart; the temperature (21 degrees Fahrenheit) and dew point (16 degrees Fahrenheit) at the time the airplane lost power places the probability for carburetor icing in the 'icing - glide and cruise power' area of the chart.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,829 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 8, 1996; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GRB Green Bay WI at 10:20 pm
- Destination: CWA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:27 pm from CWA, 1 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.
Other NTSB records under N8259M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.