Piper PA-18-150 accident near Oak Grove, Wisconsin, September 3, 1984
On September 3, 1984 at about 8:31 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N8042B, was destroyed in an accident near Oak Grove, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1984 · about 8:31 pm local time · cases in 1984
- Place
- Oak Grove, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N8042B · registry record · serial 18-5688
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED TO THE HOST OF THE PICNIC THAT HE WOULD 'BUZZ THE PARTY A COUPLE OF TIMES.' THE TWO SEAT ACFT HAD THREE OCCUPANTS ABOARD AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ACFT PASSED OVER THE PICNIC TWICE AT A VERY LOW ALTITUDE. THE ACFT THEN CLIMBED, REVERSED DIRECTION AND DESCENDED BACK TOWARD THE FIELD. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO FLY BETWEEN TWO TREES BUT THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE TREE. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GND AND BURNED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 746 hours in all; 428 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 605 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,010 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 19, 1984; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Juneau WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from MSN, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N8042B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8042B on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub 3,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B 179 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Wisconsin 1,622 since 1982 · 225 in the last ten years
- Wisconsin 6,161 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N8042B 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI84FA376.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.