Piper PA-38-112 accident near Wild Rose, Wisconsin, November 18, 1984
On November 18, 1984 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2428L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wild Rose, Wisconsin. 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 1984 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Wild Rose, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2428L · registry record · serial 38-79A0700
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HE WAS FLYING AT 500 FT AGL OVER AN OPEN MARSH THAT IS SURROUNDED BY HIGHER TERRAIN COVERED WITH PINE TREES, LOOKING FOR HIS FATHER WHO WAS HUNTING IN THE AREA. THE PLT CONTINUED TO STATE THAT HE BECAME PREOCCUPIED WITH TRYING TO IDENTIFY A PERSON ON THE GROUND AND THUS WAS NOT WATCHING HIS ALTITUDE. HE ENTERED A CLIMBING LEFT TURN AT WHICH TIME HE HEARD SOMETHING HIT THE ACFT WHICH WAS LATER DETERMINED TO BE A TREE.
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: 147 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 105 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,923 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 21, 1984; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STE Stevens Point WI at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:15 pm from AUW, 40 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.
Other NTSB records under N2428L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI85LA049.