Cessna 150J accident near La Valle, Wisconsin, March 20, 1997
On March 20, 1997 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N5526G, was substantially damaged in an accident near La Valle, Wisconsin. 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 inadequate pre-flight planning/preparation which led to fuel exhaustion. A factor was the snow covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1997 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- La Valle, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N5526G · no longer on the register · serial 15071026
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
En route to final destination the engine suffered a loss of power. The pilot conducted a forced landing in a flat farm field that was snow covered. After touchdown, the airplane nosed over and caused substantial damage to the airplane. Postcrash investigation showed no usable fuel in system. After one and one half gallons of Avgas were added to tanks, the engine started and ran uneventful.
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: 204 hours in all; 185 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 1996; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 57C East Troy WI at 1:00 am
- Destination: HBW Hillsboro WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:58 am from KDL, 18 miles away
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.