Piper PA-24-180 accident near Platteville, Wisconsin, April 26, 1983
On April 26, 1983 at about 2:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-180, registered N5548P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Platteville, Wisconsin (Platteville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- April 26, 1983 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- Platteville, Wisconsin · Platteville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180 · all PA-24-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5548P · no longer on the register · serial 24-612
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, THE PLT ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TO LAND ON RWY 27 IN X-WIND CONDITIONS. THE RWY WAS 2200 FT LONG & WAS WET FROM LIGHT RAIN. AFTER MAKING 2 GO-AROUNDS, A LANDING WAS MADE ON THE 3RD APCH. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE BRAKING WAS POOR TO NIL. BY THE TIME HE CRESTED THE TOP OF A HIGH POINT ON THE RWY, HE REALIZED THAT THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT ROOM REMAINING TO GO AROUND OR STOP ON THE LANDING AREA. THE ACFT CONTINUED OFF THE RWY & WENT INTO A RAVINE. THE PLT ESTIMATED THE WIND WAS FROM THE SOUTH SOUTHWEST AT 18, GUSTING 21 KTS. AT MADISON, WI, THE 0800 CDT WIND WAS FROM 180 DEG AT 16 KTS.
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: 520 hours in all; 219 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,656 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MDW Chicago IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 pm from MSN, 55 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.