- Date
- September 22, 1997, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Dassel, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7331QCessna 182
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970922039369A
- Case key
- 10714
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 pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point on the airstrip. Factors associated with the accident were the high vegetation which skewed the pilot's visual perception of threshold, and the embankment which the airplane contacted.
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 airplane contacted an embankment prior to the threshold of the sod runway on a private airstrip as the pilot was practicing a short field landing. He reported that the grass prior to the threshold had not been mowed and it was long enough to hide the embankment, giving him the impression that the runway was lower than it actually was.
Factual narrative
On September 22, 1997, at 1800 central daylight time, a Cessna 182, N7331Q, owned and operated by a private pilot collided with the terrain when it touched down short of the prepared grass surface at a private airstrip in Dassel, Minnesota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The local flight which was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 originated from the private airstrip at 1730.
The pilot reported that the accident occurred during his second landing and that he was attempting to land a little shorted then he did during the first landing. He reported that he thought he was on a proper glideslope for the landing, but when he reduced the power he heard a "whaping" noise and the airplane pitched down as he crossed the threshold. The airplane contacted the terrain in a nose low attitude collapsing the nose gear prior to coming to a stop.
The pilot reported, "... the grass preceding the threshold had not been cut and was long enough to hide a 15-18" sloped embankment at the end of the runway. The taller grass preceding the end of the runway evidently gave me the impression the runway was lower causing me to come in on too low of an approach and strike top 3" of embankment."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7331Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 182
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18260971
- Airframe hours
- 3,030
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Timothy K. Kelly
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 4, 1997 · 3 hours before
- Airport
- Private Airstrip
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
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 572 total · 396 in this make and model · 542 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.