Amateur-built Casutt Sport Racer accident near Shell Lake, Wisconsin, August 4, 2001
On August 4, 2001 at about 1:30 am local time, a amateur-built Casutt Sport Racer, registered N333GE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shell Lake, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation and the misjudged flare that resulted in a hard landing. A factor to the accident was the 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
- August 4, 2001 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Shell Lake, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Casutt Sport Racer
- Registration
- N333GE · no longer on the register · serial 31769
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported that the airplane's engine was "sputtering" and saw the airplane execute a forced landing to an open field. The first responder to the scene reported that there was no fuel in the fuel tank and there was not a strong smell of fuel at the accident site. The first responder reported that the fuel tank had to be removed in order to remove the pilot and no fuel was drained from it. No anomalies were found with the airplane or its engine that could be associated with any 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 763 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 1:36 am from RPD, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.