Piper PA-28-161 accident near Boyceville, Wisconsin, April 28, 1995
On April 28, 1995 at about 6:33 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8475R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boyceville, Wisconsin (Boyceville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions and subsequent failure to maintain runway alignment. The crosswind was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1995 · about 6:33 pm local time
- Place
- Boyceville, Wisconsin · Boyceville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8475R · no longer on the register · serial 28-22381
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IN HIS WRITTEN STATEMENT, THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 04 WITH WINDS BETWEEN 280 AND 040 DEGREES AT TEN GUSTING TO SEVENTEEN KNOTS. HE WROTE HE HAD A DIFFICULT TIME MAINTAINING AIRSPEED ON FINAL. THE AIRPLANE WAS 'FLOATING' AND CONTACTED THE RUNWAY, THEN BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN. HE WROTE THAT HE 'THOUGHT THE AIRPLANE WOULD SETTLE BACK DOWN, BUT IT CONTINUED TO FLOAT AND DRIFT TO THE RIGHT INTO THE TREES.'
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: 101 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 39 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 717 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 31, 1995; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W11 Menomonie WI at 7:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,800 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from EAU, 110 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.