Dassault-Breguet FALCON 50 accident near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, May 12, 1985
On May 12, 1985 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Dassault-Breguet FALCON 50, registered N1181G, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (Americana airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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
- May 12, 1985 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Geneva, Wisconsin · Americana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dassault-Breguet FALCON 50 · all FALCON 50s on the register
- Registration
- N1181G · registry record · serial 72
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
HIGH SINK RATE DEVELOPED ON SHORT FINAL. ACFT TOUCHED DOWN 13 FT PRIOR TO RUNWAY BEFORE SINK RATE COULD BE ARRESTED. LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AFTER CONTACTING EDGE OF RWY WHICH IS 7 INCHES HIGHER THAN SURROUNDING TERRAIN. TAIL SECTION OF ACFT CAUGHT FIRE JUST PRIOR TO COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP 2900 FT DOWN THE RWY. PILOTS WHO FREQUENTLY FLY IN AND OUT OF THE ARPT STATED, WIND SHIFTS NEAR THE RWY ARE COMMON IN GUSTY CONDITIONS BECAUSE OF HILLY TERRAIN.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,200 hours in all; 1,050 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 9,080 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,373 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 2, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 26,450 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TFE731-3-1C (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheelin IL at 9:45 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 4,050 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 18 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from MKE, 31 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CHI85LA194.