Cessna 172F accident near Coleman, Wisconsin, November 29, 1998
On November 29, 1998 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N72RE, was destroyed in an accident near Coleman, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the trees and his intentional flight into IMC conditions. Factors contributing to this accident were the pilot's lack of instrument certification, his becoming lost in the poor weather, his inadequate preparation for flight by failing to obtain adequate weather information, his improper decision to attempt a visual approach in instrument conditions, and the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 1998 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Coleman, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N72RE · registry record · serial 17252068
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot-rated passenger said the pilot (her husband) flew over Lake Michigan at 6,500 feet msl to the Coleman, Wisconsin, area. Over Wisconsin they descended through three different cloud layers. She recalled passing 2,500 feet msl when they entered the first cloud layer, and that they flew between cloud layers. The last time she recalled seeing the altimeter, it indicated that the airplane was descending through 1,000 feet msl. 'We were doing a 4 mile circle to get down. We could see land and trees. Then we couldn't see anything. It was pure white. Then I was looking at this big birch tree.' Witnesses on the ground heard the airplane make two circular passes over their locations. One witness said that following the second pass he heard a loud revving of the engine followed one to two seconds later by the sound of wood cracking. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single- engine land rating. The pilot-rated passenger also holds a private-pilot certificate with single-engine land rating. At 1622 cst, the Flight Service Station at Green Bay, Wisconsin, reported ceilings of 800 feet agl broken, 1,100 feet agl overcast, 3 miles visibility, light rain and mist. Witnesses on the ground, who were within 1/2 mile of the accident site at the time the accident occurred, described the weather as consisting of thick fog and mist with the visibility less than 1/2 mile. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies.
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: 844 hours in all; 581 in this make and model; 796 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,321 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1998; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 07G Charlotte MI at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:22 pm from GRB, 695 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.