Ryan Navion G accident near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, September 14, 2005
On September 14, 2005 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Ryan Navion G, registered N2401T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (Lake Geneva Air Estates 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 loss of engine power due to water contamination of the fuel and the pilot's inadequate preflight. A factor was the fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 2005 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Geneva, Wisconsin · Lake Geneva Air Estates · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan Navion G
- Registration
- N2401T · registry record · serial 3150
- 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 when it impacted a fence and terrain during a forced landing after a loss of power during takeoff. The pilot reported that "everything looked good" for takeoff when he departed. The airplane lifted off the runway at 80 mph. The pilot reported, ""At about 40 ft agl the engine went flat. I checked airspeed and I was at 60 mph so I put the nose down." As the airplane hit a fence at the end of the runway, the engine regained full power and the airplane crossed a street and went into a field before the pilot shut the engine off. The inspection of the airplane revealed no deficiencies that would have precluded normal engine operation. The pilot reported that the airplane had not been flown in the previous two weeks and had been parked on a slight hill that sloped down and to the right. It had rained the night before the accident flight, and the pilot found water in the wing's filler caps. As a result of the sloped hill, the airplane's wing fuel tanks were not level when he checked for water contamination during the preflight.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 114 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WI89 Lake Geneva WI at 11:35 pm
- Destination: BUU Burlington WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.