Piper PA-25-180 accident near Baldwin, Wisconsin, September 30, 1982
On September 30, 1982 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-25-180, registered N6140Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Baldwin, Wisconsin. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
- September 30, 1982 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Baldwin, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25-180 · all PA-25-180s on the register
- Registration
- N6140Z · registry record · serial 25-164
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TAKEOFF FROM A 1200 FT ALFALFA FIELD WITH A LOAD OF SEED BUT WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN FLYING SPEED. BY THE TIME HE REALIZED THE SITUATION, THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO STOP. HE REPORTED THAT HE RELEASED THE BACK PRESSURE UNTIL HE WAS NEAR THE END OF THE FIELD, THEN HE PULLED BACK ON THE STICK HOPING TO RISE OVER THE FENCE AND SETTLE IN THE ADJOINING FIELD. HOWEVER, THE PLANE WENT THROUGH THE FENCE. THE LEFT WIND HIT A CORNER POST, THE PLANE SWUNG SIDEWAYS, THE GEAR COLLAPSED, THEN THE PLANE WENT THROUGH A SECOND FENCE. NO MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS REPORTED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,780 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 113 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,540 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,313 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 113 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Baldwin WI at 4:14 pm
- Destination: Baldwin WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 145°F (63°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.