- Date
- December 8, 1991, 00:41 local (06:41 UTC)
- Place
- Rochester, MN
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8411APiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911208055149A
- Case key
- 15359
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
Improper use of autopilot during approach which resulted in proper alignment not maintained by the pilot. Factors related to the accident were turbulence and crosswinds, over confidence in aircraft's capability and overconfidence in personal ability.
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 said while flying a coupler autopilot instrument approach to the airport at Rochester, turbulence was encountered shortly after passing the middle marker. Substantial deflections of the obs/gs indicator were observed. The acft collided with the terrain about 4000 feet from the runway. A crosswind of 17 knots, 50 degrees to the runway heading was present during the approach.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8411A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8190274
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Filmore County Flying Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- D42 · Springfield, MN
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 325 total · 325 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 180° at 17 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Observed at
- RST, 1 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.