Piper PA-23-250 accident near Markesan, Wisconsin, February 27, 1985
On February 27, 1985, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N54815, was substantially damaged in an accident near Markesan, Wisconsin (Nowatzski Feild airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 27, 1985
- Place
- Markesan, Wisconsin · Nowatzski Feild · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N54815 · no longer on the register · serial 7554112
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ALTHOUGH THE PILOT BELIEVED HE HAD ENOUGH VISIBILITY TO LAND AT THIS UNLIGHTED AIRFIELD AT DUSK, HE, IN FACT, ALIGNED THE AIRCRAFT UP APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET TO THE RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY. HE LANDED IN A SHALLOW SNOWBANK THAT PARALLELED THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,775 hours in all; 308 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 1,630 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,900 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 21, 1985; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y35 Black River WI at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 280° at 20 knots, gusting 5
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.