Piper PA-32-300 accident near Bruce, Wisconsin, October 20, 1984
On October 20, 1984, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N2898D, was destroyed in an accident near Bruce, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- October 20, 1984
- Place
- Bruce, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N2898D · registry record · serial 32-7940-188
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO A HEAVILY WOODED AREA DURING A X-COUNTRY PERSONAL FLIGHT. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT CIRCLE THE LIGHTED FOOTBALL FIELD AT ATLANTA, WI, AT AN ALTITUDE LOW ENOUGH THAT THEY FEARED THE ACFT WOULD HIT TREES IN THE VICINITY. AT THIS TIME THE WX CONDITIONS AT ATLANTA WERE: LOW OVERCAST, RAINY, GUSTY WINDS. WITNESSES WATCHED THE ACFT DEPART THE AREA TOWARD HIGHER GROUND AND HEARD AN EXPLOSION. INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL PRE- IMPACT FAILURE OF THE ACFT AND AUTOPSY AND TOXICOLOGY TEST DID NOT REVEAL ANY MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS OR EVIDENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL.
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
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 75 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,145 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 13, 1984; 155 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKE Milwaukee WI at 11:00 pm
- Destination: SSQ Shell Lake WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 260° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N2898D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.