# Accident 19960314003999A: Cessna 172E, Tofte, MN, March 14, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 14, 1996, 15:00 local time
- Place: Tofte, MN
- Airport: Tofte Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.6591° N, 90.8194° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.6591&lon=-90.8194&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3898S, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3898S) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172E (registry code 2072412, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172e) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172E
- Reported engine: CONT O300D
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,560 total, 1,400 in this make and model, 26 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI96LA106](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96LA106) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960314003999A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LANDED ON CLOSED AIRPORT IN TWO FOOT DEEP SNOW. SNOWMOBILE TRACKS ON RUNWAY. (-23) ON MARCH 14, 1996 AT 1500CDT A CE-172E, N3898S, REGISTERED TO JOHN WILLIAM ROWE OF WAUNAKEE, WISCONSIN SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE FROM A LANDING AT TOFTE, MN. AIRCRAFT WAS ON A PLEASURE FLIGHT UNDER PART 91. THE PILOT WAS PROPERLY RATED AND CURRENT. NO INJURIES, NO FIRE. THE ELT DID NOT SOUND. VMC CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THE PILOT LANDED AT TOFTE, WHEN IN FACT PER THE AIRPORT/FACILITY DIRECTORY, THE AIRPORT IS LISTED AS CLOSED INDEFINITELY.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI96LA106](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96LA106), Mar 14, 1996: Cessna 172E (N3898S), Tofte, MN, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to perform adequate preflight planning which resulted in landing at a closed airport. The snow covered runway was a factor.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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