Culver LCA accident near Viroqua, Wisconsin, July 25, 2019
On July 25, 2019 at about 8:55 pm local time, a 1940 Culver LCA, registered N29272, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Viroqua, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2019 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Viroqua, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Culver LCA No Series, built 1940 · all LCAs on the register
- Registration
- N29272 · registry record · serial 141
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he departed with 19 gallons of fuel onboard, and about 3 hours and 41 minutes into the cross-country flight, the engine “quit.” The pilot performed a forced landing in a soybean field, during which the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder, empennage, and canopy bulkhead. Examination revealed no evidence of fuel in the fuel tank, which was intact. No mechanical anomalies were found with the engine. Based on the available information, it is likely that the total loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion.
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 engine power (total) during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 480 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 15, 2017
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,530 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental A75 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9V9 Chamberlain SD at 4:47 pm
- Destination: C35 Reedsburg WI
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from Y51, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 23, 2022. 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 | NTSB Form 6120 Pilot Operator Report CEN19LA243 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record FAA Inspector Site Examination Findings CEN19LA243 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array CEN19LA243 | 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.
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.