- Date
- April 20, 1994, 15:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Howes, SD
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N46474Cessna 172K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 12, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940420008549A
- Case key
- 9511
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
The diverted attention of the pilot-in-command and his failure to maintain proper altitude.
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 purpose of the flight was to drop a package to two persons who were canoeing on a river. After the package was dropped, the pilot stated he was distracted for 4-6 seconds, and neglected to pull up. The airplane inadvertently struck a soft river bank. The landing gear sank in the soft ground, and the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On April 20, 1994, at 1530 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172K, N46474, sustained substantial damage when it crashed near Howes, South Dakota. The commercial pilot and the two passengers in the airplane were not injured. The personal flight originated at the Rapid City Regional Airport. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot reported the purpose of the flight was to drop a package to two persons who were canoeing on the river. He stated he made a low pass, dropped the package, then became distracted before he executed a pull-up and go-around. The airplane inadvertently touched down on the soft river bank. After touchdown, the landing gear sank into the soft soil, and the airplane nosed-over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N46474
- Reported as
- Cessna 172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17257292
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hardrockers Flying Club Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 4, 1994 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- RAP · Rapid City, SD
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
- 33
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,351 total · 900 in this make and model · 1,227 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RAP, 55 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.
Other investigations on N46474 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.