Amateur-built CIRRUS VK-30 accident near Baraboo, Wisconsin, August 28, 1990
On August 28, 1990 at about 9:38 pm local time, a amateur-built CIRRUS VK-30, registered N420A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Baraboo, Wisconsin (Baraboo 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 PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT AND MISJUDGEMENT OF THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION AND LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, DUE TO AN INADEQUATE SUPPLY OF FUEL. THE INOPERATIVE FUEL TOTALIZER WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1990 · about 9:38 pm local time
- Place
- Baraboo, Wisconsin · Baraboo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CIRRUS VK-30 CIRRUS VK-
- Registration
- N420A · no longer on the register · serial 0001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE THE AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT, A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER OCCURRED, AND A FORCED LANDING WAS INITIATED. THE LANDING WAS MADE IN AN OPEN FIELD WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. THE AIRCRAFT SLID APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET AFTER INITIAL TOUCHDOWN AND CAME TO REST IN A DITCH AFTER THE LEFT WING STRUCK A SCRUB TREE. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE; HOWEVER, THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER REPORTED NO INJURIES. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO USABLE FUEL ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE FUEL TOTALIZER HAD NOT BEEN WORKING FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND THAT HE WAS FORCED TO USE VISUAL ESTIMATES OF THE FUEL STATUS.
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: 1,209 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,209 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 63 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, July 23, 1990; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 250-B17C (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from MSN, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.