What happened
On April 8, 2025, at approximately 13:08 CDT, a PPHU Ekolost KR-030 Topaz, registration N568RD, was involved in an accident near Platteville, Wisconsin. The aircraft was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal flight.
ADS-B data tracked the aircraft beginning at 12:33:04, positioned roughly 1.5 miles southwest of Platteville Municipal Airport (PVB) at an altitude of 1,400 feet MSL. The pilot performed several maneuvers, including a 3-mile arc circling east and north of the airport, followed by a broad figure-eight pattern extending 3.5 miles north and west of the field.
At 12:47:33, the aircraft was located 0.9 miles north-northeast of the airport at 1,380 feet MSL. Following a period of ADS-B coverage loss, the aircraft was recorded 2.3 miles south of the airport at 12:49:52, after which no further tracking data was available. The aircraft eventually impacted an open field approximately one-third mile south of the runway 33 threshold. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot sustained one serious injury and did not recall the sequence of events leading to the accident.