- Date
- November 29, 1991, 12:55 local (18:55 UTC)
- Place
- Willmar, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N80553Piper PA-28R-201
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911129057189A
- Case key
- 15368
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
An inadequate weather evaluation which resulted in flight into icing conditions. Factors in the accident were the icing conditions and the excessive descent during landing.
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 he encountered IFR flight conditions and requested a clearance to VFR on top. After reaching 8000 feet MSL, and still in the clouds, he requested an IFR approach to Willmar, MN. After crossing the threshold for landing, he added full flaps and reduced power. The airplane landed hard and sustained a gear collapse. The airframe had about one half inch of ice on the leading edges of the wings and empennage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N80553
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-201
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-80553
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thunderbird Aniation
- Registered owner
- Thunderbird Aniation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- FCM · Eden Prairie, MN
- Airport
- ILL · Willamr, runway 1, 5,700 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 253 total · 85 in this make and model · 98 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STC, 50 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.