The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Hartzell; Piqua, Ohio
One Two Kilo Delta Corporation
Location: Marengo, Wisconsin
Accident Number: CEN22FA019
Date and Time: October 23, 2021, 14:40 Local
Registration: N843AC
Aircraft: American Champion Aircraft 8KCAB
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On October 23, 2021, about 1440 central daylight time, an American Champion Aircraft 8KCAB airplane, N843AC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Marengo, Wisconsin. The pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot’s sister-in-law reported that she received a phone call from the pilot about 5 minutes before the accident, and that the pilot told her to wait outside because he intended to fly over her house. The airplane overflew her position multiple times at a low altitude before it entered an aerodynamic loop maneuver. The airplane impacted a house and terrain while descending in the loop maneuver.
Another witness reported seeing the airplane flying “pretty low” before it entered an aerobatic loop maneuver on a north heading. The airplane was inverted at top of the loop on a south heading before it descended toward the ground on a north heading. The airplane impacted the ground during the descent portion of the loop.
An onsite examination determined the airplane’s right wing leading edge impacted the roof of a house before the fuselage impacted the ground in a nose-down pitch attitude. The main wreckage came to rest in the back yard of the house on a north heading. The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage, empennage, engine, and propeller. Both wings separated from the upper fuselage during impact and were found about 20 ft north of the main wreckage. Flight control cable continuity could not be established; however, all observed separations were consistent with impact related damage.
The engine remained attached to the fuselage, and the propeller remained partially attached to the engine crankshaft. One propeller blade exhibited compound bending; opposite rotation, aft, and twisted toward low pitch. The other propeller blade mostly exhibited aft bending. Both propeller blades exhibited chordwise/rotational scoring and leading edge gouging.
The engine did not exhibit any crankcase or cylinder fractures. The upper sparkplugs exhibited features consistent with normal engine operation. Internal engine and valve train continuity were confirmed as the engine crankshaft was rotated through the propeller governor drive gear. Compression and suction were noted on all four cylinders in conjunction with crankshaft rotation. Both magnetos provided spark at each post when rotated by hand. Fuel was observed in the electric fuel pump, engine-driven fuel pump, fuel servo, and the fuel line to the fuel manifold valve. The engine examination revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.
A review of the sound spectrum that was extracted from a short video clip recorded in moments before the accident determined the fundamental propeller blade passage was about 80Hz, which corresponded to 2,400 rpm for the 2-blade propeller.
The postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: American Champion Aircraft
Registration: N843AC
Model/Series: 8KCAB
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KASX,826 ft msl
Observation Time: 14:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 9 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 8°C /1°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 3 knots / , 50°
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 6000 ft AGL
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.04 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Ashland, WI (ASX)
Destination: Eden Prairie, MN (FCM)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 46.406685,-90.898016 (est)
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.
Aleah Laurette Miller, 21 of Marengo, Wisconsin, passed away on October 23, 2021 near Marengo. Her brother, Aaron, was with her.
Aleah was born in Ashland, Wisconsin to Robert and Sally Mika on March 20, 2000. As a young girl Aleah was interested in many things. She accomplished many projects in 4H and in the youth programs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She loved participating in service projects. Aleah loved working with cattle and raised an Ashland County Grand Champion steer. Aleah especially enjoyed being a band and jazz band member. She graduated from Ashland High School. She joined the National Guard, graduating from basic training in October 2018 at Fort Jackson, SC. She was assigned to the Hayward Unit following advanced training. Aleah attended UW-Eau Claire for one semester before completing an eighteen month Church mission to Ogden, Utah. Following her mission she attended school and worked in Rexburg, ID returning home in May of this year. She recently worked at Carlson Rental while attending North Wood Technical College in Ashland in the pre nursing program. Aleah especially enjoyed swimming, snowboarding, and hanging out with family, friends, and her beloved animals.
Aleah was married to the love of her life, Kenneth James Miller, on October 8, 2021.
Aleah is preceded in death by grandparents Frank and Sophie Mika, and Brice Bender.
Aleah is survived by her spouse Kenneth Miller of Marengo, WI; her grandmother Laurette Bender of Traverse City, MI; parents Robert and Sally Mika of Marengo, WI; siblings: Jeff (Marty) Mika of Hayward, WI; Marie Hipsher of Janesville, WI; Tyrone (Emily) Stone of West Haven, UT; Victor (Amanda Krueger) Stone of Stevens Point, WI; Paul (Chelsea) Mika of Marengo, WI; Richard (Dayani) Mika of Mosinee, WI; Rosalie (Joel Moschler) Mika of Duluth, MN; and 14 nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. before a service at 11:00 on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Ashland, WI. A private family burial service will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery. Arrangements are made by Mountain Funeral Home.
The family wishes to extend sincere thanks to first responders, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Mountain Funeral Home.
Aaron T. Mika
March 13, 1992 - October 23, 2021
~
Aaron Thomas Mika, age 29, of Marengo, Wisconsin, passed away on October 23, 2021 near Marengo. His sister, Aleah, was with him.
Aaron was born in Ashland, Wisconsin to Robert and Sally Mika on March 13, 1992. As a young boy, Aaron was an avid investigator of all his world had to offer. He truly enjoyed discovering how things worked and what he could create by putting things together. Aaron was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and participated in scouting, 4H and FFA. He showed cattle and raised a Grand Champion steer. Besides working on the family farm he had several jobs as a teenager, including dressing as Smokey Bear at the Great Lakes Visitor Center. He attended and graduated from Ashland High School. During his college years, he worked for Foth on the Lakeshore Restoration project in Ashland. Aaron graduated from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a degree in Civil Engineering. He spent several years at engineering firm TKDA and became a licensed professional engineer. He also pursued commercial and flight instructor certification. Since 2020 he has worked as a flight instructor and float plane pilot in California and Alaska. Aaron enjoyed flying, building things, riding his motorcycle, and going on adventures. He was kind, generous, thoughtful, and lots of fun in his relationships with his family and friends.
Aaron is preceded in death by grandparents Frank and Sophie Mika, and Brice Bender.
Aaron is survived by his grandmother Laurette Bender of Traverse City, MI; parents Robert and Sally Mika of Marengo, WI; siblings: Jeff (Marty) Mika of Hayward, WI; Marie Hipsher of Janesville, WI; Tyrone (Emily) Stone of West Haven, UT; Victor (Amanda Krueger) Stone of Stevens Point, WI; Paul (Chelsea) Mika of Marengo, WI; Richard (Dayani) Mika of Mosinee, WI; Rosalie (Joel Moschler) Mika of Duluth, MN; and 14 nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. before a service at 11:00 on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Ashland, WI. A private family burial service will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery. Arrangements are made by Mountain Funeral Home.
The family wishes to extend sincere thanks to first responders, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Mountain Funeral Home.
MARENGO, Wisconsin -- Authorities have identified the two people killed in a small plane crash in Marengo, Wisconsin on Saturday.
According to the Ashland County Sheriff's Office, Aaron Thomas Mika, 29, and his sister, Aleah Laurette Miller, 21, died when their plane crashed into a neighborhood yard, nearly hitting a home.
Sunday we spoke to the homeowner where the plane crashed. He said Aaron and Aleah were brother and sister.
Departure: FCM Minneapolis, MN
ReplyDeleteSaturday 23-Oct-2021 11:56 CDT
last seen near Solon Springs, WI
Saturday 23-Oct-2021 13:03:09 CDT
46.2402, -91.5984 ↑ 11° 107 123 2,500
@ flightaware
Time: 13:12:36
ReplyDeleteSpeed: 112 kt
Altitude: 1,700 ft
Vert. Rate: 128 ft/min
Track: 57.4°
Pos.: 45.227°, -93.249°
last return
Time: 13:12:39 L
Speed: 107 kt
Altitude: ▲ 1,700 ft
Vert. Rate: 448 ft/min
Track: 55.3°
Pos.: 45.228°, -93.247
@ adsbexchange
Crashed while reportedly "aerial maneuvering" over the town where they resided, after a relatively long flight originating from Minneapolis. Many times, this set of crash circumstances is associated with making passes for the benefit of someone on the ground. A sad tragedy.
ReplyDeletePilot had commercial, instrument and instructor certification.
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/10/25/wisconsin-plane-crash-marengo/