Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Capitol Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Brookfield, Wisconsin 53045
Sunday, January 15, 1995 18:34 CST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
AFTER RETURNING FROM THE LOCAL PRACTICE AREA ON AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT AT NIGHT, THE PRIVATE PILOT PROCEEDED TO PERFORM THREE TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ACCEPTED THE PRIVATE PILOT'S INVITATION TO DO THE FOURTH APPROACH AND LANDING BY TAKING FULL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. THE INSTRUCTOR STATED ALL APPEARED NORMAL INCLUDING CENTERLINE TRACKING DURING THE FINAL APPROACH. WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS ON SHORT FINAL, THE LEFT WING STRUCK A TREE. THE INSTRUCTOR IMMEDIATELY APPLIED FULL POWER. THE LEFT WING THEN STRUCK A SECOND TREE AND WAS SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN AN INVERTED POSITION. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL OR OTHER ANOMALIES WERE REPORTED BY EITHER THE INSTRUCTOR OR THE PRIVATE PILOT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The instructor's failure to maintain clearance with trees. Factors associated with the accident were the trees and the night lighting conditions.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/15/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1834 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Standard Time |
| Event City | BROOKFIELD |
| Event State | WISCONSIN |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 53045 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | CAPITOL AIRPORT |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | 02C |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 60 |
| Airport Elevation | 850 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 2000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Thin Overcast |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 4 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 60 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 8 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 3 |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 16 1995 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1404 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 3:59PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N39955 |
| NTSB Number | CHI95LA068 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-28-181 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-28-181 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 28-7990022 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2550 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 4 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 33 |
| Airframe Hours | 4038 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | THUNDERBIRD TRANS LTD |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 923 EAST LAYTON AVENUE |
| Aircraft Owner City | MILWAUKEE |
| Aircraft Owner State | WI |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 53207 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | EAGLE AVIATION |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 21500 WEST GUMINA ROAD |
| Operator City | PEWAUKEE |
| Operator State | WI |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 53072 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | 02C |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1745 |
| Departure Time Zone | CST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | 02C |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 30 |
| Runway Length | 330 |
| Runway Width | 44 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |