Piper PA-28-140 accident near West Bend, Wisconsin, August 10, 2007
On August 10, 2007 at about 10:10 am local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N1696H, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Bend, Wisconsin (West Bend Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to depart in adverse weather conditions, and his failure to maintain clearance from the terrain. Contributing to the accident included the pilot's lack of an instrument rating, his lack of recent night experience, the night conditions and fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2007 · about 10:10 am local time
- Place
- West Bend, Wisconsin · West Bend Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N1696H · no longer on the register · serial 28-7725156
- 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 terrain during night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) about 1/4 mile north of the departure airport. No one witnessed the airplane's departure and there were no witnesses to the accident. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) reported that the first time the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was "picked up" by an overhead satellite was at 0510. The inspection of the accident site indicated that the airplane impacted the cornfield in a nose low, right wing down attitude. The inspection of the airplane and engine revealed no pre-impact anomalies. The non-instrument rated private pilot had logged 0.8 hours of night flight 11 months prior to the accident flight. He had not logged any night flights since. At 0505, the surface weather observation at the departure airport was: Winds 300 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 2 statute miles, overcast 200 feet.
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: 520 hours in all; 495 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 412 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,812.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2006; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ETB West Bend WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,897 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 10:05 am from ETB
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.