- Date
- June 13, 1992, 13:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Ladysmith, WI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N52142Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920613019949A
- Case key
- 15465
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
Failure of the pilot to attain a proper touchdown point and the attempted abort of the precautionary landing attempt.
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 pilot of the accident airplane became lost on a cross country flight. He requested assistance from ATC and was given directions to an airport where he landed and refueled. He resumed his flight but became lost again. Approximately one hour after departure he noted the fuel gauges on the airplane showed empty. He elected to perform an off airport precautionary landing. He aborted the landing after touchdown and collided with trees as he attempted to climb away from the field. A witness who assisted the pilot and passenger after the accident reported he smelled fuel while he was at the site. Post accident examination of the wreckage verified the presence of fuel in both wing tanks. No mechanical defects were discovered in the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52142
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274423
- Airframe hours
- 3,651
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- A & M Aviation
- Registered owner
- A & M Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 3, 1992 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- LSE · Lacross, WI
- Destination
- Hayward, WI
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 88 total · 43 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EAU, 30 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.
Other investigations on N52142 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.