- Date
- November 28, 1985, 13:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Duluth, MN
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8082BPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851128058189A
- Case key
- 13232
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot departed crystal lake for a flight to visit relatives for thanksgiving. He did not obtain a preflight weather briefing nor did he contact any ground facility during the flight. He was qualified to fly in VFR conditions only. The aircraft impacted the surface of a frozen lake eight miles from Duluth iap and was destroyed. An exam- ination of the wreckage revealed nothing that would cause an inflight problem. Weather at Duluth iap at the approx time of the crash was: EST 1000 ft overcast, visibility 1 1/2 miles with light snow and fog. Weather at Duluth 40 min before this observation was: 200 ft ceiling, sky obscured. Visibility 3/4 mile with light snow and fog.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8082B
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8016058
- Airframe hours
- 1,960
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thunderbird Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 16, 1985 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- MIC · Crystal, MN
- Destination
- DLH · Duluth, MN
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 110 total · 104 in this make and model · 73 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 18 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 3 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DLH, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.