NTSB Factual Report

On December 26, 2005, about 1230 central standard time, a Cessna 152, N6085M, piloted by a student pilot, sustained substantial damage on impact with the snow and ice on Pelican Lake, Wisconsin. The solo cross country instructional flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from the Waukesha County Airport, near Waukesha, Wisconsin, and was en route to the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport, near Rhinelander, Wisconsin, at the time of the accident.

The pilot's accident report, in part, stated:

On the 26th day of December at 1230 AM central time I

was on a solo cross country flight from Waukesha to

Rhinelander WI. While in route I made the decision to

land on Pelican Lake located about 20 mi south of

Rhinelander WI. I made a few low passes over the lake

to observe the surface conditions. I could see that

there was only a few inches of snow on the lake and

surface seemed to be flat (no snow drifting or ice

heaves) so I set myself up for a soft field landing

configuration. Upon main gear touching down the

gear was restricted and pulled the nose of the aircraft

to the ground (ice) slid about 25 yards then settled

back onto main gear.

The pilot's safety recommendation, in part, stated:

This accident could have been prevented if I would have

just stuck to my flight plan and [federal aviation

regulations]. I realize that I made a very bad decision

to land on the lake and have learned greatly from it.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot selecting an unsuitable landing area. Factors were the snow and ice covered lake.