# Accident 20200913015029A: Cessna 172I, Cottage Grove, MN, September 13, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 13, 2020, 13:32 local time
- Place: Cottage Grove, MN
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 44.8110° N, 92.9198° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.8110&lon=-92.9198&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8488L, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8488L) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172I (registry code 2072426, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172i) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172I
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN20LA392](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA392) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200913015029A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED SOUTH SAINT PAUL MUNICIPAL AIRPORT- FLEMING FIELD ON A "DISCOVERY FLIGHT" APPROXIMATELY FOUR MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT THE AIRCRAFT MADE A VERY STEEP DECENT AND IMPACTED A GRAVEL QUARRY LAKE AND SANK. THREE SOULS ONBOARD DECEASED.

AIRCRAFT LEFT SOUTH SAINT PAUL AIRPORT ON A DISCOVERY FLIGHT WITH THE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS, APPROXIMATELY FOUR MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED VERY RAPIDLY AND IMPACTED A QUARRY LAKE, THE DECENT WAS RECORDED ON A GO-PRO INSTALLED IN A DIFFERENT AIRCRAFT, THE GO-PRO ALSO RECORDED SEVERAL EAGLES FLYING AT THE SAME ALTITUDE AS THE RECORDING AIRCRAFT, NO SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE HAS BEEN FOUND TO INDICATE THE CAUSE OF THE DESCENT. AIRFRAME INSPECTION FOUND NO DAMAGE THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE RAPID DESCENT

## 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 CEN20LA392](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA392), Sep 13, 2020: Cessna 172 (N8488L), Cottage Grove, MN, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: A steep descent and impact with terrain for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

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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