Quad City CHALLENGER - II accident near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, April 11, 2015
On April 11, 2015 at about 4:32 pm local time, a 2002 Quad City CHALLENGER - II, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N30796, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern downwind) near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin (Rosenbaum Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s incapacitation due to a cardiovascular event, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 2015 · about 4:32 pm local time
- Place
- Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin · Rosenbaum Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quad City CHALLENGER - II, built 2002, amateur-built · all CHALLENGER - IIs on the register
- Registration
- N30796 · no longer on the register · serial CH-2-0501-2088
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While the airplane was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at the pilot's home airport, witnesses observed it enter into a steep dive that continued to ground contact in an open field. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The recreational pilot's medical history included coronary artery disease treated with multivessel bypass surgery. The autopsy documented severe coronary artery disease and damage to the heart muscle; including myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), which placed the pilot at severe risk of a cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm) and incapacitation. Based on the autopsy findings and the pilot's medical history, he most likely became incapacitated due to a cardiovascular event secondary to his severe heart disease and recent myocarditis.
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
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern downwind) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: recreational
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 416 hours in all; 402 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 960 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3WI9 Chippewa Falls WI
- Destination: 3WI9 Chippewa Falls WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from KEAU, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 19, 2017. 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 | Photo of Airplane at Accident Site | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Medical Factual Report | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N30796 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.