- Date
- November 22, 1994, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Thief Rvr Falls, MN
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N853NDPiper PA-44
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 27, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941122039139A
- Case key
- 9802
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 flight instructor's delayed remedial action during a simulated forced landing. A factor in the accident is the student pilot's improper landing flare.
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 flight instructor (CFI) reported he was giving a private pilot dual instruction in preparation for a multi-engine rating. The CFI said that shortly after lift-off, at an estimated altitude of 150' AGL, he retarded the right engine to idle to simulate a loss of engine power. The private pilot responded by reducing the power on the left engine, and returning to the runway for landing. The CFI wrote in his report to the NTSB that the private pilot misjudged the landing flare, and landed hard, damaging the airplane.
Factual narrative
On November 22, 1994, about 1500 central standard time, a Piper PA-44 airplane, N853ND, sustained substantial damage during a simulated forced landing at Thief River Falls Airport, Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The certificated flight instructor (CFI), dual student and the one passenger aboard reported no injury. The instructional flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions.
The CFI reported that he was giving the private pilot multi- engine instruction in preparation for a multi-engine rating. Shortly after takeoff from Thief River Falls Airport, at an estimated altitude of 150' above the ground, the CFI reduced the right engine to idle thrust to simulate a loss of engine power. The private pilot multi-engine student reduced power on the left engine to return to the runway. The CFI stated that the student misjudged the landing flare and landed hard, causing substantial damage to the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N853ND
- Reported as
- Piper PA-44
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4495007
- Airframe hours
- 3,058
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1H6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- University Of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · October 17, 1994 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- TVF
- Destination
- GFK · Grand Forks, ND
- Airport
- TVF · Thief Rvr. Falls, runway 31, 6,503 × 150 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
- 25
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,470 total · 165 in this make and model · 1,200 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N853ND · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.