Amateur-built Tailwind W8 accident near Platteville, Wisconsin, September 3, 2006
On September 3, 2006 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Tailwind W8, registered N4FD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Platteville, Wisconsin (Platteville Municipal 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 as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight which resulted in a blocked fuel vent that led to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2006 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Platteville, Wisconsin · Platteville Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Tailwind W8
- Registration
- N4FD · no longer on the register · serial 757
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The amateur-built experimental airplane sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during a forced landing to a farm field after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that he had conducted two moderate speed taxi runs prior to the takeoff. He reported that he departed and just prior to turning crosswind, the engine "died." He executed a forced landing to an alfalfa field, but the airplane nosed over during the landing roll. The examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel vent was clogged.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,168 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVB Platteville WI at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7
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.
Other NTSB records under N4FD the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.