Cessna 172N accident near Shell Lake, WI
On August 14, 2002, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Shell Lake, WI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 14, 2002
- Place
- Shell Lake, WI
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 45.738°N, 91.856°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020822X01446
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 13, 2002, at 2333 central daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N4731D, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when it impacted into a cornfield near Shell Lake, Wisconsin. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in night visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight originated from the St. Cloud Regional Airport (STC), St. Cloud, Minnesota, and was en route to the Price County Airport (PBH), Phillips, Wisconsin. The exact departure time is not known. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane multiengine land, instrument airplane, and airplane single land ratings. The certificate, issued on June 27, 2002, listed private pilot privileges for single engine land airplanes. The pilot held a first class medical certificate with no restrictions. The medical certificate was issued on December 6, 2000. An "Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application", that the pilot submitted in relation to a flight test for a certified flight instructor certificate, was reviewed. According to the application, the pilot had accumulated a total of 236 flight hours, 178 hours instruction received, 51 hours solo, 174 hours as pilot in command (PIC), 41 hours of cross country instruction received, 92 hours of cross country experience, 61 hours of instrument flight experience, 10 hours of night instruction received, 41 night take-off/landings, 11 hours of night PIC experience, and 23 night take-off/landings as PIC. The application was dated July 22,
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to refuel the airplane prior to departure leading to fuel exhaustion during the flight, the inadequate preflight/inflight planning, and the unsuitable terrain encountered by the pilot during the forced landing attempt. Contributing factors were the pilot being fatigued, the night lighting condition, and the corn crop.
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Browse: Wisconsin · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
