Piper PA-28-200R accident near Black River Fal, Wisconsin, July 4, 1982
On July 4, 1982 at about 3:53 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-200R, registered N56339, was substantially damaged in an accident near Black River Fal, Wisconsin. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1982 · about 3:53 pm local time
- Place
- Black River Fal, Wisconsin
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-200R · all PA-28-200Rs on the register
- Registration
- N56339 · registry record · serial 28R-7335414
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING FLIGHT, HE ENCOUNTERED AN ENGINE PROBLEM AND STARTED TO LAND ON A ROAD, BUT THEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN BETTER, SO HE CONTINUED TO HIS DESTINATION. AFTER LANDING, HE DISCOVERED THAT A PORTION OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER (ABOUT 18 INCHES) AND A CORRESPONDING PART OF THE RUDDER WERE MISSING. DURING AN INTERVIEW, THE PILOT DENIED BEING AWARE THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD STRUCK ANY OBSTRUCTIONS. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT AN AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN FLYING AT TREETOP LEVEL ABOVE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 94 FOR AN OBSERVED DISTANCE OF 15 TO 17 MILES. ALSO, THE MISSING PIECES OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER WERE FOUND ADJACENT TO THE HIGHWAY. ADDITIONALLY, DAMAGE WAS FOUND ON TWO OF THREE POWER LINES THAT WERE NEARBY AND ABOUT 90 FT AGL.
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: 1,700 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 1,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,350 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Wheeling IL at 9:30 am
- Destination: Hayward WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 167°F (75°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.