Amateur-built RV-4 accident near Sparta, Wisconsin, August 1, 1997
On August 1, 1997 at about 6:20 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-4, registered N654Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sparta, Wisconsin (Sparta-Fort Mccoy 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 compensation for wind conditions, and his improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in an improper flare and hard landing. The gusty wind 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 1, 1997 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Sparta, Wisconsin · Sparta-Fort Mccoy
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-4
- Registration
- N654Y · no longer on the register · serial 654
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during landing, a gust of wind caught the airplane, and it bounced. He added power to smooth out the landing, but it bounced once again. He then added full power in an attempt to go-around, but he noticed the engine was vibrating from the propeller having struck the runway. He reduced the power to idle, and then the airplane descended and contacted the terrain off the right side of the runway.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 421 hours in all; 67 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 421 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 67 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 1997; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YKN Yankton SD at 4:00 pm
- Destination: CMY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,295 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:22 pm from CMY
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.
Other NTSB records under N654Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.