Piper PA-22-20 accident near Siren, Wisconsin, January 23, 1983
On January 23, 1983 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-20, registered N3925P, was destroyed in an accident near Siren, Wisconsin (Burnett CO. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- January 23, 1983 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Siren, Wisconsin · Burnett CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-20 · all PA-22-20s on the register
- Registration
- N3925P · no longer on the register · serial 22-3598
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES HEARD A SOUND OF AN ACFT ENG, BUT BECAUSE OF LOW CLOUDS & FOG THEY COULD NOT SEE THE ACFT. THEY HEARD THE SOUND OF THE ENG, A LOUD ROAR, THE BREAKING OF TREES, & THENA 'BANG.' THEY THEN FOUND THE ACFT WHICH HAD PENETRATED A WOODED AREA AT A 70 DEG ANGLE OF DESCENT. AFTER BEING TOLD OF THE CRASH, A FBO TOOK OFF TO LOCATE THE ACFT, BUT BECAUSE OF THE LOW CEILING HE HAD TO RETURN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY TO THE ARPT.
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: 367 hours in all; 367 in this make and model; 335 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,242 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A-273 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Somerset WI
- Destination: Siren WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from DLH, 60 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.