Piper PA-28-160 accident near Altoona, Wisconsin, October 18, 2004
On October 18, 2004, a Piper PA-28-160, registered N5520W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Altoona, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate fuel management leading to the fuel starvation in the left tank during the flight's descent. A factor was the impacted power line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2004
- Place
- Altoona, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-160 · all PA-28-160s on the register
- Registration
- N5520W · no longer on the register · serial 28-610
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with a power line and terrain during a forced landing following an in-flight loss of engine power. The pilot stated, "Departed KLNR at 5:55 for Eau Claire airport to drop [the passenger] off and was still flying off the left tank." The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane in reference to the flight and his safety recommendation was "maybe fuel exhaustion." During an on-scene examination of the wreckage, 12.5 gallons of fuel was found in the right tank and approximately a pint of fuel in the left tank.
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: 85 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 52 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 25, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,881.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 8, 2004; 19.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNR Lone Rock WI at 10:55 pm
- Destination: EAU Eau Claire WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from EAU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.