Colonial C-2 accident near Stone Lake, Wisconsin, May 7, 1984
On May 7, 1984 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Colonial C-2, registered N281B, suffered minor damage in an accident near Stone Lake, Wisconsin. 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
- May 7, 1984 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Stone Lake, Wisconsin
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Colonial C-2 · all C-2s on the register
- Registration
- N281B · registry record · serial 140
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD FLOWN TO LITTLE SISSABAGAMA LAKE WHERE HE OWNED A CABIN. A WITNESS HAD OBSERVED THE LAST 3 MINS OF FLT BUT NOT THE ACTUAL IMPACT WITH THE WATER. THE ACFT WAS LATER FOUND INVERTED IN 15 FT OF WATER 300 FT FROM A SHORE. PLT WAS FOUND 150 FT FROM THE SHORE & THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS DROWNING. THE WITNESS OBSERVED THE ACFT IN A WIDE GRADUALLY DESCENDING LEFT TURN AROUND AN ISLAND. THE ENG SOUND WAS 'NORMALLY LOUD. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ENG SOUND DECREASED MOMENTARILY, THEN STOP. THE LEFT WING FLOAT HAD SEPARATED FROM THE WING. THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER TRIM TABS WERE ABOUT 3 DEG NOSE UP, A NEAR-CRUISE SETTING. ACCORDING TO THE CFI WHO HAD CHECKED OUT THE PLT IN THE ACFT, THE PLT, WHO WAS A B-727 AIRLINE CAPTAIN, HAD DIFFICULTY JUDGING SURFACE WIND DIRECTION FOLLOWING A LOW PASS OVER THE WATER.' WINDS IN THE AREA ARE UNPREDICTABLE DUE TO THE SEVERAL ISLANDS ON THE LAKE. IT WAS RAINING AT THE TIME & WAVE HEIGHT WAS ABOUT 1 FT. THE WATER TEMP WAS 42 DEG F.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,797 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,713 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 1983; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ENW Kenosha WI at 3:30 pm
- Destination: Little Sissaba WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 11 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 12:00 pm
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.