Waco UPF-7 accident near Jim Falls, Wisconsin, August 27, 2012
On August 27, 2012 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Waco UPF-7, registered N32011, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Jim Falls, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The blockage of the right fuel tank vent, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2012 · about 6:45 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Jim Falls, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco UPF-7 · all UPF-7s on the register
- Registration
- N32011 · registry record · serial 5642
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a local proficiency flight, throughout which the pilot had the fuel selector set to its “both” position, the airplane’s engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and performed a forced landing, during which the airplane's left landing gear impacted an obstacle and the airplane skidded sideways and nosed over. The pilot stated that initially he did not observe fuel leaking from either fuel tank vent after the accident. However, after he opened and resealed the tank caps, the pilot noticed fuel leaking from the right fuel tank vent, consistent with an existing fuel vent obstruction having been dislodged. Subsequent examination revealed no usable fuel in the left fuel tank and 20 gallons of fuel in the right fuel tank. A postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any other anomalies that would have caused a loss of engine power.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during enroute
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Malfunction other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,165 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 2,110 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 18, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,258 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor R-670-6A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3WI9 Chippewa Falls WI at 4:50 pm
- Destination: 3WI9 Chippewa Falls WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from EAU, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 20, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Communications Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N32011 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Waco UPF-7 189 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Waco 657 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor R-670-6A 170 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Rosenbaum Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Wisconsin 1,622 since 1982 · 225 in the last ten years
- Wisconsin 6,161 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN12LA582.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.