On April 11, 2015, a QUAD CITY CHALLENGER - II (registration N30796) was involved in an aviation accident near Chippewa Falls, WI. One person was killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s incapacitation due to a cardiovascular event, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent impact with terrain. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
On April 11, 2015, an experimental Quad City Challenger II with an expired registry crashed into a field near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, killing the 77-year-old pilot.
Accident Overview and Flight History On April 11, 2015, at 1132 central daylight time, an experimental Quad City Challenger II airplane, formerly registered as N30796, impacted terrain while on a visual pattern downwind at Rosenbaum Field Airport (3WI9), near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane, which had an expired registry, was operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, which departed without a flight plan at an unknown time. Witnesses observed the airplane making a turn near the mid-field downwind position before it began a steep dive that continued until ground impact. A post-crash fire followed the impact. ## Personnel and Medical Background The pilot, age 77, held a recreational pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating and a repairman experimental aircraft builder certificate. His logbook indicated 416 total hours as of May 5, 2006, with nearly all flight time in the accident airplane. Recent logbooks were unavailable. According to his wife, he had flown a few times in the preceding 12 months. His most recent FAA medical certification exam, dated May 10, 2004, resulted in a third-class medical certificate with a vision limitation; the certificate expired for all classes on May 31, 2006. Medical records from January 2012 to April 2015 revealed a history of coronary artery disease treated with multi-vessel bypass surgery, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, hypothyroidism, diet-controlled type 2 diabetes with peripheral neuropathy, and major depressive disorder. A cardiologist evaluation on October 6, 2014, documented that he was stable from a cardiac standpoint but not following a proper cardiac diet. At a primary care appointment two days before the accident, he reported no chest pain or shortness of breath, and his blood pressure was well controlled. His medications included atenolol, lisinopril, levothyroxine, fluoxetine, atorvastatin, tamsulosin, naproxen, and aspirin. His wife reported he underwent heart bypass surgery in September 2008 and had been recovering from upper respiratory issues and a sinus infection two months before the accident. An autopsy performed on April 14, 2015, determined the cause of death was blunt force injuries. It identified an enlarged heart, severe multi-vessel coronary artery disease with complete occlusion of two bypass vessels, evidence of an old heart attack, and active inflammation of heart muscle. Toxicology detected atenolol, atorvastatin, fluoxetine, and norfluoxetine, but no carbon monoxide or ethanol. ## Aircraft and Wreckage The airplane was a two-seat tandem, high-wing, pusher configuration. FAA records indicated the pilot manufactured it and received a special airworthiness certificate on May 17, 2002. It was equipped with a Rotax 503 engine and a Tennessee, Inc. wooden propeller. Maintenance logbooks were unavailable. The accident site was a level, open farm field about ½ mile east of the runway. The airplane impacted with a nose-low attitude, creating a 2-foot-deep crater, and came to rest about 40 feet from the initial impact point. A post-crash fire consumed much of the fuselage and tail. FAA examination confirmed flight control continuity and engine crankshaft continuity. The wooden propeller was fragmented down to its hub. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. ## Meteorological and Airport Information At 1156, the weather observation station at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport (EAU), located about 9 miles southwest of the accident site, reported wind 250 degrees at 11 knots with gusts to 17 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 15 degrees C, dew point 1 degree C, and altimeter setting 30.14 inches of mercury.