Piper PT-46 accident near Eden Prairie, Minnesota, October 20, 2000
On October 20, 2000 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Piper PT-46, registered N1RQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eden Prairie, Minnesota (Flying Cloud Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot misjudging the landing flare, and his failure to recover from the bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 2000 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Eden Prairie, Minnesota · Flying Cloud Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PT-46
- Registration
- N1RQ · registry record · serial 46-36171
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that during the landing he noticed the airplane start to float up. 'When [the] plane came back down, it began to bounce up and down. On the third of maybe 5 or 6 bounces, the prop struck the ground.' An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 981 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 847 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 551 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 4,318 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT-6A-34 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C91 Dowagiac MI at 10:15 pm
- Destination: FCM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27L, 3,909 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from FCM, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.