- Date
- July 24, 1993, 14:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Delton, WI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N720DSStoeckler RV-4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 17, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930724025259A
- Case key
- 9143
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the pilot-in-command's failure to maintain proper altitude. A factor was trees.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Witnesses observed the airplane maneuvering near a residential area, making 30 to 45 degree banked left turns. On the last circle the airplane collided with tree tops, leveled momentarily and then nosed over and impacted the terrain.
Factual narrative
History of flight
On July 24, 1993, at approximately 1420 Central Daylight Time, a homebuilt Stoeckler RV-4, N720DS, registered to Danny R. Stoeckler, was destroyed when it struck trees while circling over a residential area in Lake Delton, Wisconsin. The private pilot incurred fatal injuries, and the passenger received serious injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight originated from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was operating in visual meteorological conditions with no flight plan on file.
Witnesses observed the aircraft circling the area 3 to 4 times in a 30 to 45 degree bank, descending left turn. On the last circle, witnesses indicated the aircraft made a steep left turn, collided with the top of the trees, leveled momentarily in a nose high attitude, and then nosed over and crashed almost vertically into the ground. The witnesses also reported that the engine was running normally at the time of impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N720DS
- Reported as
- Stoeckler RV-4
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1083
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stoeckler, Danny R.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- O2C · Brookfield, WI
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LNR, 25 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.