Quad City CHALLENGER accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 23, 2018
On July 23, 2018 at about 2:50 pm local time, a 2008 Quad City CHALLENGER, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N1666R, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Oshkosh, Wisconsin (Wittman Rgnl airport). 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 pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the base to final turn and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2018 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- Oshkosh, Wisconsin · Wittman Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Quad City CHALLENGER II, built 2008, amateur-built
- Registration
- N1666R · registry record · serial CH2-0899-1897
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was landing on the ultralight field when the accident occurred. The pilot stated that she made a wide base to final turn because she was unsure about the placement of the runway. Although the pilot added power, the airplane entered a left descending turn until the left wing contacted the ground near the beginning of the runway's displaced threshold. The airplane then spun left and slid rearward on the ground until it contacted a chain-link fence. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot's statement, along with a ground-based video of the accident, revealed that the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack during the base to final turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
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 final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: sport pilot
- Flight time: 874 hours in all; 299 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 798 as pilot in command; 81 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 11, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 348 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 2018
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Y50 Wautoma WI at 2:15 pm
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 1,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KOSH, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on September 25, 2018. 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 | NOTAM - Excerpt | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array - Eaa Photos | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Video - Eaa | AVI file | 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 N1666R 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.