Piper PA-28-151 accident near Waunakee, Wisconsin, April 3, 2005
On April 3, 2005 at about 4:22 am local time, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N56715, was destroyed in an accident near Waunakee, Wisconsin (Waunakee airport). 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 preflight planning and the delay in aborting the landing which resulted in the subsequent insufficient airspeed. Factors associated with the accident were the night light conditions, the fence, and the pole which the airplane contacted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 2005 · about 4:22 am local time
- Place
- Waunakee, Wisconsin · Waunakee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N56715 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7415006
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with a fence and a pole during an aborted landing. The pilot reported he remotely activated the runway lights during the landing. He stated he did not know that the runway lights did not illuminate the runway and that they did not start at the end of the runway. He stated that during his previous night landings at the airport he was able to see the outline of the runway and lights would not have been needed. He stated that this time he could not see the runway until he was on it and that all he could see is what the landing light was illuminating. The pilot stated he touched down further down the runway than he intended, so he decided to initiate a go-around. He stated he added 20 degrees of flaps, applied full throttle, and rotated at 65 miles per hour. He stated the airplane traveled off the end of the runway prior to lifting off. The pilot stated that after lifting off, the stall horn sounded so he descended back into ground effect to accelerate. He stated the stall horn sounded again when he attempted to climb, so he decided to climb more slowly. The pilot reported he was nearing a house at the end of the runway, so he turned to the left and pushed the yoke forward in an attempt to "crash into the ground and skid between two houses." He stated the airplane contacted a fence and a permanent basketball hoop pole prior to the airplane coming to a stop. The Airport/Facility Directory states the airport has nonstandard low intensity runway lights located 155 feet from the west end of runway 09/27. The directory also indicates that 1,910 feet of the runway is lit and that the lights are located approximately 60 feet from the edge of the pavement.
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: 163 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 107 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 2, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 15, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GRB Green Bay WI at 3:20 am
- Destination: 6P3 Waunakee WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,223 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from MSN, 7 miles away
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.