Amateur-built CHALLENGER accident near Marion, Wisconsin, June 18, 2016
On June 18, 2016 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 2002 amateur-built CHALLENGER, registered N7058U, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Marion, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the airplane engine drive belt during the takeoff, resulting in a forced landing and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 2016 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Marion, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHALLENGER II, built 2002
- Registration
- N7058U · registry record · serial CH2-1000-2021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector, the pilot of the Experimental Amateur Built airplane departed from a private airstrip. During the takeoff initial climb, the airplane lost engine power and force landed in a field. The FAA Inspector reported that the airplane was equipped with an older cog engine drive belt that failed during takeoff. The airplane impacted the ground and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The National Transportation Safety Board Air Safety Investigator-in charge attempted on multiple occasions to contact the pilot and the pilot's son, to whom the airplane was registered. The FAA Inspector was unable to contact the pilot, but he was able to speak with the pilot's son who was informed by the inspector to call the NTSB Investigator-in-charge; to no avail.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller controlling system › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,342 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 543 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 1, 2015
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582DCDI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Marion WI at 2:30 pm
- Destination: Marion WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 pm from KCLI, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on November 3, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FAA Inspector's Record of Conversation and Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.