- Date
- October 27, 1990, 18:40 local (23:40 UTC)
- Place
- Portage, WI
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N738APCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901027047139A
- Case key
- 14947
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The PIC became lost and disorientated and performed a premature precautionary landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt said that during a night cross country flight, an electrical failure occurred. After trying to find a nearby airport, and circling for about 15 minutes, a precautionary ldg was attempted, without flaps or lights due to the electrical failure, on a road which resulted in a nose over. Post accident investigation revealed the airport beacon was inoperable and brightly lighted construction adjacent the airport made it difficult to locate. Loose connections were found on the battery terminal and the alternator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N738AP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269827
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Global Air Inc.
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- C48 · Sandwich, IL
- Destination
- AIG · Antigo, WI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- NONE
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 970 total · 382 in this make and model · 832 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 310° at 17 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- MSN, 40 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.