Preliminary Report: Four killed in P Navajo accident

Piper PA-31P, Woodruff, Wis., May 25, 2003–At 5:54 p.m. CDT a Piper P Navajo N36DR, piloted by an ATP-rated pilot, crashed into trees immediately after takeoff from 5,150-foot Runway 36 at Lakeland Airport near Woodruff, Wis. The Part 91 flight was operating in VMC on an IFR flight plan for DuPage Airport, West Chicago, Ill. All four occupants were killed. The airplane crashed into level wooded terrain about half a mile north of the departure end of the runway and to the left of the extended runway centerline. The cause is still under investigation.