Piper PA-28-151 accident near Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, November 11, 1995
On November 11, 1995 at about 4:08 am local time, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N161FS, was destroyed in an accident near Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's intentional VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain altitude. Factors included the weather obscuration due to snow and fog, the dark night, and the pilot's lack of recent night flight time.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 1995 · about 4:08 am local time
- Place
- Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N161FS · no longer on the register · serial 28-7415329
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot obtained weather briefings at 1118 CST and at 1718 CST. He was advised in both briefings that VFR flight was not recommended. At 1839 CST he activated his VFR flight plan and made no other radio contacts. The pilot had flown a total of 2.8 hours of night time in the last nine months. A local witness reported that there was a 'slight covering of snow but not real windy,' at 2130 CST, but at 2230 CST, the '...wind was howling. Visibility was very low. Could hardly see the yard light 150 feet away. Winds were strong, 25 to 30 miles per hour. Snowing pretty good. Light pole was blurred. 35 feet tall....' The airplane had flown into a marsh about 300 degrees and 3.8 nautical miles from Fond du Lac Airport.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 220 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 80 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,799 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 26, 1995; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GFK Grand Forks ND
- Destination: FLD
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 14 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:57 am from RYV, 36 miles away
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.