Grumman SCAN TYPE 30 accident near Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, August 5, 1983
On August 5, 1983 at about 1:37 pm local time, a Grumman SCAN TYPE 30, registered N7775C, was destroyed in an accident near Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin (Lake Winnebego airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1983 · about 1:37 pm local time
- Place
- Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin · Lake Winnebego · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman SCAN TYPE 30 SCAN TYPE · all SCAN TYPE 30s on the register
- Registration
- N7775C · registry record
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE AIRCREW FLEW TO THE SOUTHERN END OF LAKE WINNEBAGO WHERE THEY MADE SEVERAL UNEVENTFUL WATER LANDINGS. THEY ESTIMATED THAT THE WIND WAS FROM THE NORTHEAST AT 5 TO 6 KTS. THE WATER WAS DESCRIBED AS SMOOTH WITH ONLY SMALL RIPPLES. ON THE 6TH APCH, THE GEAR HANDLE WAS CHECKED IN THE UP POSITION & THE AMBER GEAR UP INDICATOR LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE AMPHIBIOUS ACFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE WATER WITH NO BOUNCE OR PORPOISE. ABOUT 2 OR 3 SECONDS AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT YAWED VIOLENTLY TO THE RIGHT & ROLLED LEFT. THE LEFT FLOAT & WING TIP HIT THE WATER & THE LEFT WING SEPARATED. THE HULL ROLLED OVER, BUT THE OCCUPANTS EGRESSED BEFORE THE ACFT SANK. A DIVER NOTED THAT THE RIGHT GEAR WAS EXTENDED. AFTER THE ACFT WAS RECOVERED, THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR ACTUATOR ROD CLEVIS WAS FOUND TO HAVE FRACTURED. THE FRACTURE SURFACE HAD SIGNS OF OVERLOAD FAILURE. THE LOCK NUT HAD BEEN SCREWED TIGHTLY AGAINST THE CLEVIS & THE LOCK NUT THREADS HAD PRODUCED GOUGE MARKS ON THE UNTHREADED PORTION OF THE SHANK OF THE CLEVIS.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 4,525 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming R-680-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OSH Oshkosh WI at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI83FA362.