Piper PA-28-140 accident near Genoa City, Wisconsin, April 26, 1984
On April 26, 1984, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N6737W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Genoa City, Wisconsin (Vincent Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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, 1984
- Place
- Genoa City, Wisconsin · Vincent Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N6737W · no longer on the register · serial 28-20856
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT HAD MADE 2 TURNS & HAD ATTAINED AN ALT OF ABOUT 200 FT AGL WHEN THE ENG SPUTTERED & LOST POWER. HE WAS UNABLE TO TURN & LAND ON THE RWY, BUT CONTINUED STRAIGHT AHEAD TO AVOID HOUSES & TREES. DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE & CRASHED IN A FIELD. AN EXAM REVEALED WATER IN THE FUEL SYS. THE CARETAKER OF THE ARPT SAID THE ACFT HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN SINCE NOV 1983. ALSO, HE REPORTED THAT THE PLT HAD DRAINED WATER FROM THE FUEL TANKS ON THE PREVIOUS DAY. THE CARETAKER HAD TOLD THE PLT NOT OT FLY THE ACFT UNTIL AFTER THE ENG HAD BEEN RUN FOR ABOUT 30 MIN & WAS RUNNING RIGHT.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 250 hours in all; 35 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,865 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 6, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 64C Genoa City WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,100 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from MKE, 31 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.