Cessna 172M accident near Thief River Falls, Minnesota, May 9, 2013
On May 9, 2013 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N1820V, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Thief River Falls, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the power line while on approach to landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 2013 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Thief River Falls, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1820V · registry record · serial 17263762
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the local flight, the pilot noted that the air was getting a little choppy and that he had to increase the wind correction angle in order to fly a normal heading. The pilot flew a normal downwind approach to the airstrip, but the wind correction angle was very large. He aborted the landing and did a full-power climb to a safe altitude. He said that he then elected to land on the east-west blacktop road right in front of the farm rather than the airstrip, which ran north-south. He circled due to traffic on the road and was concentrating on possible traffic as he approached to land. Soon thereafter, the pilot saw wires directly ahead, and he heard the airplane strike a wire; he applied full power, but the airplane descended and impacted a ditch on the right side and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial wing damage during the nose over. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 796 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 610 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 19, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,520 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2012
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Thief River Falls MN at 3:00 pm
- Destination: Thief River Falls MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 17 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from TVF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.