Piper PA-28-161 N8126V

Summary

On 15 August 2000 at about 19:09 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N8126V was involved in an accident near Watertown, Wisconsin, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 August 2000 at 19:09

Classification

Accident

Location

Watertown, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Watertown Municipal Airport (RYV)

Coordinates

43.1902, -88.7191

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N8126V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Watertown → Baraboo

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI00FA263

3 people died.

Aircraft control not being maintained during initial climb resulting in a stall/mush. Factors to the accident were the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation, the pilot operating over the airplane's certified maximum gross weight, and the pilot selecting the wrong runway which resulted in a downwind takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot preformed a downwind takeoff and while on initial climb lost control of the airplane, subsequently impacting the terrain. The airplane was destroyed during a post-impact fire. The pilot selected runway 11 for the takeoff. The wind at the time of the accident was 300 degrees magnetic at 10 knots. The airplane was approximately 189 lbs over the certified maximum gross weight at the beginning of the flight. No anomalies were found with the airplane or its flight control systems that could be associated with a pre-impact condition. No anomalies were found with the engine or its related systems that could be associated with a pre-impact condition.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.