Cessna 172K N79118

Summary

On 16 January 2026 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 172K registered N79118, operated by Osceola Aerosport LLC, was involved in an accident near Amery, Wisconsin, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

16 January 2026 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Amery, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

45.2813, -92.3755

Aircraft

Cessna 172K

Registration

N79118

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Osceola Aerosport LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

NTSB number

CEN26LA094

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On January 16, 2026, about 1130 central standard time, a Cessna 172 airplane, N79118, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Amery, Wisconsin. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 maintenance test flight. The pilot reported that during a post-maintenance test flight, he heard and felt a bang followed by violent shaking of the airframe with partial loss of engine power. The airplane was circling over Amery Municipal Airport, Amery, Wisconsin, and subsequently the pilot chose to reenter the traffic pattern for runway 36. As the airplane turned onto the base leg for runway 36, total engine power was lost. The pilot realized he would not make the runway and elected to perform a forced off-field landing in a snow-covered field. During the rollout in the snow, the airplane nosed over which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, and both wings. Prior to the flight, the Lycoming O-320-E20 reciprocating engine had a complete overhaul and was reinstalled onto the airplane. The mechanic reported that there were no issues with the engine observed during the ground testing before the maintenance flight. The airplane was retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.