Amateur-built W-8 accident near Lodi, Wisconsin, January 20, 1998
On January 20, 1998 at about 5:07 pm local time, a amateur-built W-8, registered N12038, was destroyed in an accident near Lodi, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain a proper altitude due to the whiteout conditions. Factors associated with the accident were the low pass performed by the pilot and the visual illusion created by the whiteout conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 1998 · about 5:07 pm local time
- Place
- Lodi, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built W-8
- Registration
- N12038 · registry record · serial 184
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he was observing the airplane's shadow as he made a low pass over a snow covered frozen lake at 50 feet. He said he went under a cloud, lost his shadow, and encountered whiteout conditions. The pilot said he could not tell where the lake's surface was because he could no longer see his shadow. He pulled up to gain altitude, but the main landing gear contacted the ice, shearing them off. The wing struts overloaded and broke off on the subsequent bounce. Several publications on winter flying describe whiteout conditions. One book describes the pilots encounter as 'overcast whiteout.'
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: 11,931 hours in all; 1,193 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,162 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 920 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 13, 1997; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DLL Baraboo WI at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI98LA083.