- Date
- May 31, 2026, 19:35 local (Jun 1, 2026, 00:35 UTC)
- Place
- Montevideo, MN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N15291Piper PA-28-235
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 17, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 203095
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power on approach due to carburetor icing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, while on final approach to the runway, the engine rpm began to run rough. The pilot applied carburetor heat, and the engine lost all power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful and prepared for a forced landing. The airplane touched down at the edge of a corn field and came to rest upright against a grass embankment. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. Following the accident, the pilot stated that the loss of engine power was likely the result of carburetor icing. According to the airplane handbook, during approach and landing, carburetor heat should be off unless icing conditions exist. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious icing at glide engine power settings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15291
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7310031
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 1,617
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2026
- Airport
- MVE · Montevideo-Chippewa County, runway 14/32, 3,999 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- March 8, 2026
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 453 total · 48 in this make and model · 327 as pilot in command · 5.9 in the last 90 days · 1.6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KMVE
- METAR
- METAR KMVE 010035Z AUTO 14012KT 10SM SCT110 18/16 A2995 RMK AO2
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 17, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.2 MB in all.