Amateur-built AA-5 accident near Middleton, Wisconsin, June 7, 1987
On June 7, 1987 at about 7:08 pm local time, a amateur-built AA-5, registered N1358R, was destroyed in an accident near Middleton, Wisconsin (Morey Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- June 7, 1987 · about 7:08 pm local time
- Place
- Middleton, Wisconsin · Morey Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5
- Registration
- N1358R · no longer on the register · serial AA5-0758
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD COMMUNICATED WITH OTHER PILOTS CONCERNING THE DIFFICULTIES HE WAS HAVING WITH THE WINDS. HE HAD ALREADY ATTEMPTED APPROACHES TO TWO OTHER RUNWAYS BUT HAD FAILED TO COMPLETE A LANDING. HE ASKED THE PILOT OF A RECENT ARRIVAL FOR THE WIND INFORMATION. HE THEN ATTEMPTED A LANDING TO RUNWAY 18. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A THRESHOLD MARKER, HALF OF THE ELEVATOR WAS SEVERED FROM THE AIRCRAFT, THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED SEVERAL TIMES ON THE RUNWAY, AND THEN WITNESSES STATED THATTHEY HEARD THE POWER BEING ADDED AND THE AIRCRAFT ACCELERATED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESCRIBED BY WITNESSES AS FLYING ERRATICALLY. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A TREE AND THEN THE GROUND WITH A POST IMPACT FIRE ERUPTING IMMEDIATELY. A WITNESS REPORTED THE WINDS FROM 240 DEGREES AT 15 GUSTING TO 25.
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: 78 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 37 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PCZ Waupaca WI at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,260 ft by 135 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from MSN, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.