Pietenpol AIR CAMPER accident near Burlington, Wisconsin, July 9, 2015
On July 9, 2015 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 2008 Pietenpol AIR CAMPER, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N29NX, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Burlington, Wisconsin (Burlington Muni 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 student pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the landing touchdown, resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2015 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Burlington, Wisconsin · Burlington Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pietenpol AIR CAMPER NO SERIES, built 2008, amateur-built · all AIR CAMPERs on the register
- Registration
- N29NX · registry record · serial BACH2
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that during the landing touchdown, she landed "a bit hard," and the forward momentum caused the nose of the airplane to contact the runway. A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the right aft wing strut and to the fuselage underneath the rudder pedals. The student pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 54.2 hours in all; 31.2 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 7.5 in the last 30 days; 14.8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 242.2 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 23, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continetnal C-65-12 (piston); 50 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BUU Burlington WI at 11:30 pm
- Destination: BUU Burlington WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 2,410 ft by 130 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from KBUU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.