# Accident 20170923019789A: Cessna TR182, Thief River Fal, MN, September 23, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 23, 2017, 07:45 local time
- Place: Thief River Fal, MN
- Airport: Thief River Falls Regional
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 48.0647° N, 96.2569° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.0647&lon=-96.2569&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4777T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4777T-2018-03-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna TR182 (registry code 2072735, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-tr182) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA TR182
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 814 total, 235 in this make and model, 17 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN17FA361](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17FA361) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170923019789A

## Narrative

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

THE FLIGHT DEPARTED THIEF RIVER FALLS AIRPORT (KTVF) BETWEEN APPROXIMATELY 1230Z AND 1240Z UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES WITH REPORTED CEILINGS OF OVERCAST AT 400 FEET. AT APPROXIMATELY 1241Z THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED ON RADAR AT 2900? MSL APPROXIMATELY 2.95 NAUTICAL MILES TO THE WEST OF THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 31 AT KTVF ON A HEADING OF 064 DEGREES.  THE RADAR TRACK SHOWS THE AIRCRAFT LEVEL AT 2900? MSL IN A RIGHT TURN WITH AN INCREASING RATE OF TURN FOR APPROXIMATELY 34 SECONDS BEFORE THE RADAR TRACK IS LOST WITH THE AIRCRAFT SHOWING A LAST HEADING OF 170 DEGREES AND A TURN RATE OF 5.33 DEGREES PER SECOND AT 2900?MSL.  AT APPROXIMATELY 1245Z THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A PLOWED FIELD WITH AN ELEVATION OF 1104? MSL APPROXIMATELY 2.66 MILES WEST OF THE DEPARTURE END OF KTVF RUNWAY 31 ON A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 060.

THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND WITH A HIGH VELOCITY IN A RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY THE IMPACT. THERE WAS A POST-CRASH FIRE.

## 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 CEN17FA361](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17FA361), Sep 23, 2017: Cessna TR182 (N4777T), Thief River Falls, MN, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The noninstrument-rated pilot's decision to depart into instrument meteorological conditions, and his subsequent loss of control due to spatial disorientation.

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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