Piper PA-28-161 accident near Watertown, Wisconsin, August 15, 2000
On August 15, 2000 at about 7:09 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8126V, was destroyed in an accident near Watertown, Wisconsin (Watertown Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Aircraft control not being maintained during initial climb resulting in a stall/mush. Factors to the accident were the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation, the pilot operating over the airplane's certified maximum gross weight, and the pilot selecting the wrong runway which resulted in a downwind takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2000 · about 7:09 pm local time
- Place
- Watertown, Wisconsin · Watertown Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8126V · no longer on the register · serial 28-8016150
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot preformed a downwind takeoff and while on initial climb lost control of the airplane, subsequently impacting the terrain. The airplane was destroyed during a post-impact fire. The pilot selected runway 11 for the takeoff. The wind at the time of the accident was 300 degrees magnetic at 10 knots. The airplane was approximately 189 lbs over the certified maximum gross weight at the beginning of the flight. No anomalies were found with the airplane or its flight control systems that could be associated with a pre-impact condition. No anomalies were found with the engine or its related systems that could be associated with a pre-impact condition.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: November 15, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,208 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RYV Watertown WI at 7:09 pm
- Destination: DLL Baraboo WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 2,801 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 81°F (27°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 7:02 pm from RYV, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.