Amateur-built CHALLENGER II accident near Platteville, Wisconsin, July 12, 1988
On July 12, 1988 at about 1:00 am local time, a amateur-built CHALLENGER II, registered N51012, was substantially damaged in an accident near Platteville, Wisconsin (Grant County airport). 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1988 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Platteville, Wisconsin · Grant County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHALLENGER II CHALLENGER
- Registration
- N51012 · registry record · serial 0284
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER CLIMBING ABOUT 100' AFTER TAKEOFF, A PARTIAL POWER LOSS OCCURRED & THE PLT INITIATED A LEFT TURN TO RTRN TO THE ARPT. UNABLE TO REACH THE ARPT, AN EMERG LNDG WAS MADE IN A CORN FIELD & THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED. NO AIRFRAME FAILURE WAS FOUND & THE ENG RAN NORMALLY DRG AN OPERATIONAL CHECK. THE PLT NOTED THAT SVRL BAGS & A PURSE WERE STOWED AFT OF THE REAR PASSENGER SEAT ON TOP OF THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK (JUG). THERE WAS A FLEXIBLE FUEL LINE THAT WAS ROUTED FROM THE TOP OF THE FUEL JUG TO THE ENG. AN INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT IF THE FLEXIBLE FUEL LINE HAD BECOME KINKED OR IF THE VENT ON TOP OF THE JUG HAD BEEN BLOCKED, FUEL FLOW TO THE ENG WOULD HAVE BEEN RESTRICTED.
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: 1,060 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 51 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 1988; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Bombardier ROTAX 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 47C Boscobel WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,605 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.