Cessna 120 accident near Iola, Wisconsin, April 21, 2018
On April 21, 2018 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1947 Cessna 120, registered N1807V, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff (rejected takeoff) near Iola, Wisconsin (Central County airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to reject the takeoff from a snow-covered grass surface, which resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 2018 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Iola, Wisconsin · Central County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 NO SERIES, built 1947 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N1807V · registry record · serial 13992
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane with 26-inch bush tires installed, he intended to perform several ground runs to pack the wet, snow-covered grass surface and then take off. During the start of the first ground run, the airplane accelerated quickly, and the pilot decided to take off. He reported that he believed that the airplane had entered an area of deeper snow and "thought it would be safer and more conservative to stop." He did not realize the airplane had become airborne. The pilot decreased the throttle to idle, and the airplane then decelerated and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing lift strut. In the recommendation section of the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot asserted that the accident could have been prevented if he had "assumed that the conditions were unacceptable as I could not ascertain with absolute certainty that the surface was acceptable." The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff (rejected takeoff) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Snow/slush/ice covered surface › Effect on operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,425 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 276 in the last 90 days; 103 in the last 30 days; 4,701 as pilot in command; 754 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 3, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,153 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85 (piston); 5,185 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W23 Wild Rose WI at 5:20 pm
- Destination: 68C Iola WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,800 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from KPCZ, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA18CA221.