# Incident 19781001030679I: Piper PA24250, Viroqua, WI, October 1, 1978

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 1, 1978, 17:30 local time
- Place: Viroqua, WI
- Airport: Municipal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.5606° N, 90.8862° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Viroqua, WI, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.5606&lon=-90.8862&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5865P, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5865P) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24-250 (registry code 7102404, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA24250
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,500 total, 20 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19781001030679I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT MAKING UNSCHEDULED LANDING TO SECURE THE CABIN DOOR, FAILED TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR BEFORE TOUCHDOWN.

## Other reports on N5865P (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20251019017889A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20251019017889A), Oct 19, 2025: Piper PA-24-250 (N5865P), Eau Claire, WI, Substantial damage. Tower instructed him to enter a left downwind for runway 22 even though the winds were favoring runway 32. The PIC noted that the winds were reported at 18-35…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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