Cessna 180J accident near Ashland, Wisconsin, April 15, 1998
On April 15, 1998 at about 1:40 pm local time, a Cessna 180J, registered N828CE, was destroyed in an accident near Ashland, Wisconsin (John F. Kennedy Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot failing to maintain separation from the trees. Factors contributing to this accident were the trees and the pilot being too low in altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 15, 1998 · about 1:40 pm local time
- Place
- Ashland, Wisconsin · John F. Kennedy Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180J · all 180Js on the register
- Registration
- N828CE · no longer on the register · serial 18052285
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness heard the pilot call on the radio and ask, 'Is the coffee on?' The witness told the pilot that the coffee was on. The pilot responded, 'Well then, I'll come in.' The next thing the witness recalled was a loud sound of an airplane engine and then the sound of things breaking. The witness ran outside of the hangar and saw the airplane going away from him in a level, gradual climb. The airplane began a left turn and roll. The airplane reached the top of its climb and then came straight down in a combination of a continual roll and a spin. Examination of the accident site revealed that the tops of three water birch trees, located 75 feet from the southeast edge of a ramp, on the airport's northeast side, were sheared off through the trunks, approximately 25 feet up from their bases. The outboard 4 feet of the airplane's left wing was found on the ramp, approximately 130 feet from the trees. Pieces of tree trunks, tree branches, and the airplane's left aileron fanned out from the trees in a southwesterly direction. No other anomalies were found.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,725 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ASX at 1:12 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,498 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:40 pm from ASX, 1 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.