New Details Revealed In Plane Crash That Killed 80-Year-Old Man

BURLINGTON, WI — Authorities say the plane that went down and killed an 80-year-old Port Washington man in May had multiple electronic and mechanical issues on the day of the fatal crash.

Authorities say David Schmutzler, 80, of Port Washington crashed his single-engine Cessna plane in a wooded area just east of the Burlington Municipal Airport on May 15.

On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board released their official report on the crash, revealing several mechanical and electronics issues on board the plane on the day of the crash.

According to the report, Schmutzler flew his plane from West Bend to Burlington that day to work with a mechanic to fix an avionics connection with an electronic flight device. The report stated that after working with the mechanic, he departed Burlington for West Bend when he encountered another issue. He turned his plane around and landed back at Burlington, only to learn that the plane's horizontal situation indicator malfunctioned, officials noted in their report.

When Schmutzler and the mechanic looked more closely at the plane, they learned the plane's alternator belt had failed. They replaced the faulty belt with a new one, and it wasn't too much later before Schmutzler was back in the air headed for West Bend, according to the report.

According to the report, Schmutzler radioed the Burlington tower again, saying that he was turning around again over an unspecified issue with the plane. According to the report, witnesses said they saw the plane on final approach coming in at a lower-than-normal altitude and air speed. One observer said the Schmutzler's plane "clearly stalled," collided with trees and disappeared from view.

The report stated that Schmutzler's plane came to rest upright in woods about a half-mile short of the runway. Authorities say Schmutzler was rushed to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa for additional treatment. Officials say he died just before 1 a.m. the following day after several surgeries.