Piper Aircraft INC PA-28-181 accident near Buxton, North Dakota, October 19, 2021
On October 19, 2021, a 2018 Piper Aircraft INC PA-28-181, registered N820ND, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Buxton, North Dakota. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s intentional flight into terrain as an act of suicide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 2021
- Place
- Buxton, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper Aircraft INC PA-28-181, built 2018
- Registration
- N820ND · registry record · serial 2881048
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a night cross-country flight. Flight track data showed that, after takeoff, the airplane climbed to an altitude of about 3,700 ft mean sea level. About 30 miles from the departure airport, the airplane turned left about 180° and began a rapid descent. The wreckage was located in a plowed, soft dirt field. Examination revealed no preimpact mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Following a death investigation, the state medical examiner classified the manner of death as a suicide.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › Suicide › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 123 hours in all; 123 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 20, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,868 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 5, 2021; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B4A (piston); 100 hours total
- Operator: University Of North Dakota
The flight
- Departed from: GFK Grand Forks ND
- Destination: FAR Fargo ND
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.67 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KGFK, 23 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KGFK 190053Z 17007KT 10SM BKN250 14/07 A2967 RMK AO2 SLP052 T01390072
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on June 22, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Track | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | ADS-B Data | data file | Download |
| 4 | Autopsy Memo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo Array | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation Piper | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation Lycoming | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.