Piper PA-38-112 accident near Byron Township, Wisconsin, December 24, 1984
On December 24, 1984, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N26055, was destroyed in an accident near Byron Township, Wisconsin (Fond Du Lac airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- December 24, 1984
- Place
- Byron Township, Wisconsin · Fond Du Lac · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N26055 · no longer on the register · serial 38-81A0094
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE LOW TIME 55 HR PILOT WAS WX BRIEFED ON UNFAVORABLE FLT CONDITIONS EN ROUTE TO DESTINATION. HE DEPARTED NO FLT PLAN. AS HE APPROACHED DESTINATION, 8 MI SOUTH, THE CEILING HAD LOWERED TO 200 FT, VISIBILITY ONE MI; ICING ON WINDSHIELD. WHILE FOLLOWING HIGHWAY, STRUCK GUY WIRE AT 177 FT AGL OF A 180 FT TOWER. PILOT LOST CONTROL AND CRASHED IN A FIELD.
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: 55 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 31 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,577 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1H2 Effingham IL at 9:09 pm
- Destination: FLD Fond Du Lac WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:50 pm from OSH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.