Plane enroute to AirVenture crashes in Marquette County

EAA’s AirVenture starts today, Monday, July 20, 2026, and that means hundreds of planes flying over as pilots make their way to the event. With these planes comes the chance of mishap, and that is exactly what happened in Marquette County Sunday.

At about 3:07 p.m., the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call from the pilot of a small aircraft experiencing mechanical problems and stated that the aircraft was going down.

The aircraft crashed in a marshy area along the south shore of the Fox River, west of Puckaway Lake, south of Montello.

The aircraft was reported to be a single-propeller, two-seat plane.

The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, was not injured. He had departed earlier in the day from Erie, Colorado, and was traveling to AirVenture.

The crash is being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

On average there are 2-3 crashes per year related to AirVenture. Since 1973, there have been 57 injury-producing or fatal crashes on or near the grounds during the convention.