Cessna 172M N20079

Summary

On 20 September 2015 at about 04:00 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N20079, operated by Travis Lesatz, was involved in an accident near Shiocton, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 September 2015 at 04:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Shiocton, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Shiocton Airport (W34)

Coordinates

44.4572, -88.5611

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N20079

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Travis Lesatz

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Minneapolis → Shiocton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

GAA15CA290

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to continue to land at an unlighted airstrip, at night, after the landing light failed on approach, which resulted in a bounced landing, runway excursion, and collision with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported he was making an approach to landing at night to an unlit grass airstrip. According to the pilot, the landing light went out about 100 feet above the ground, and he lost depth perception. The pilot continued the landing and bounced once. The airplane veered off the runway to the right into a cornfield, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to rudder, vertical stabilizer, and left wing. Other than the landing light, the pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.