Cessna 182 accident near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, July 20, 1997
On July 20, 1997 at about 1:45 am local time, a Cessna 182, registered N5820B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 misjudgment of the fuel supply, and subsequent fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 1997 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N5820B · registry record · serial 33820
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he departed for a parachute jump flight with about 25 gallons of fuel aboard the airplane. He said the flight lasted for 30 minutes. When the airplane was on the final approach to the runway, a loss of engine power occurred. The pilot made a forced landing in a corp field adjacent to the airport, and the airplane was damaged. An examination of the airplane after the accident failed to reveal any mechanical anomaly. No fuel was found remaining in the tanks. The flight (owner's) manual indicated usable and unusable fuel for various flight conditions including level flight. The power loss occurred in an approach configuration.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 860 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 760 as pilot in command; 214 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 174 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4WI0 at 1:15 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from KEA, 9 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.