Piper PA-28-140 accident near Beloit, Wisconsin, February 27, 1983
On February 27, 1983 at about 7:34 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N5769F, was destroyed in an accident near Beloit, Wisconsin (Beloit airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- February 27, 1983 · about 7:34 pm local time
- Place
- Beloit, Wisconsin · Beloit
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N5769F · no longer on the register · serial 28-25073
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
REPORTEDLY, THE PLT HAD NOT FLOWN FOR 2 OR 3 MONTHS BEFORE HIS FLTS ON 2/27/83. ON THAT DAY, HE TOOK OFF & MADE 5 TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS, THEN STOPPED FOR A CUP OF COFFEE. THE PLT THEN DEPARTED AGAIN ON A 2ND FLT. APRX 1/2 HR LATER, SMOKE WAS OBSERVED FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE. NO CALLS WERE MADE BY THE PLT ON THE UNICOM FREQUENCY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. AN EXAM OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE ACFT HAD COLLIDED WITH THE BRANCHES OF 2 TREES ALONG A ROADWAY APRX 3400 FT SHORT OF THE RWY. THE ROADWAY WAS NEARLY ALIGNED WITH THE CENTERLINE OF THE RWY. SLASH MARKS WERE FOUND ON THE TREE LIMBS THAT WERE INDICATIVE OF PROPELLER SLASHES. THERE WERE NO LEAVES ON THE TREES. AIRPORT PERSONNEL REPORTED THAT ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS, PILOTS HAD MISTAKEN THE ROADWAY FOR THE ARPT RWY.
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: 638 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1982; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,630 ft by 165 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from JVL, 8 miles away
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.