Piper PA-28-140 accident near Sturtevant, WI
On December 13, 1997, a Piper PA-28-140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sturtevant, WI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 13, 1997
- Place
- Sturtevant, WI
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 42.701°N, 87.889°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X09276
Official records · CHI98LA061
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 13, 1997, at 1545 central standard time (cst), a Piper PA-28-140, N5454S, piloted by a student pilot, was destroyed during a collision with a moving tractor-trailer truck and terrain while on short final approach to runway 26L (2,300' X 33' dry/asphalt) at the Sylvania Airport, Sturtevant, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight departed Sturtevant, Wisconsin, at 1540 cst. Witnesses said N5454S's main landing gear struck the semi-trailer truck's trailer. They said the airplane was approaching the runway from the east "...at a very low angle," according to the Racine County Wisconsin Sheriff's Department report. One witness said the airplane "...had a slight up and down jerky movement as it crossed the northbound traffic just before hitting the semi [that was driving in the southbound lane]." Another witness said that the "...airplane was flying low toward the ground and as it got closer it looked as if it hit turbulence because it sort of swerved lower and hit the top right of a semi-truck. Then its wing skidded off the truck... ." Witnesses reported that the airplane collided with the ground in a pitch down attitude with the right wing lower than the left wing. They said the airplane rebounded and slid backward about 20-feet from its impact point. The initial ground collision point was about 100-feet west of the highway where the truck was operating. OTHER DAMAGE The air deflector on t
Probable cause
The pilot's misjudgment of altitude/distance and her failure to maintain adequate visual lookout. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance. A contributing factor was the pilot experiencing a visual illusion.
More accidents in WI
- Douglas DC-9-14, Sep 6, 1985
- Beech 200, Nov 16, 1987
- Piper PA-28-140, Feb 3, 1991
- Piper PA-32R-300, Aug 19, 1990
- Cessna 421C, Jul 1, 2017
Browse: Wisconsin · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
