Cessna 414 accident near Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 28, 2001
On March 28, 2001 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Cessna 414, registered N8247Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minneapolis, Minnesota (Crystal airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining the proper airspeed during the circling approach, the inadvertent stall and the subsequent loss of control. Factors were the pilot's decision to continue the approach in weather conditions below the approach/landing minimums, the continued flight below the minimum descent altitude, the pilot not following the approach airspeed listed in the owner's manual, the air traffic controllers not issuing weather information to the pilot, and the weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 2001 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Minneapolis, Minnesota · Crystal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414 · all 414s on the register
- Registration
- N8247Q · no longer on the register · serial 414-0252
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had been cleared for the VOR approach to the airport and was executing a circling maneuver to land when it impacted the ground short of the runway. The pilot said that, during the approach for landing, the aircraft, "...started behaving strangely in a [manner] I [ wasn't] familiar with, a wobble, or flopping in [the] tail section, not like a stall." Passengers indicated that the aircraft appeared to be low and that the aircraft banked to the left and rolled 90 degrees which pointed the left wing directly at the ground. According to the voice transcripts, the pilot did not advise controllers that he had current weather information, and the controllers did not provide current weather to the pilot as required by an FAA order. Radar data shows that at 1643:03 the aircraft was at 1,200 feet MSL altitude at a ground speed of 89 knots. The pilot requested and was given the weather at the destination airport as, "about three quarters to a half mile visibility here and a ceiling six hundred broken." At 1644:47, the pilot said, "okay i got the runway now how bout ah the reverse direction is that all right." Radar data shows that at 1644:44 the aircraft was at 1,000 feet altitude at a ground speed of 82 knots. The approach procedure for the VOR or GPS-A approach to MIC lists a minimum descent altitude of 1,360 feet MSL and a minimum visibility of 1 mile for catagory A, B and C aircraft. During voice communications between the aircraft and the control tower, the pilot said, at 1643:04, "thirteen hundred feet ah we're just starting to see the ground." The airplane owner's manual lists the minimum multi-engine approach speed as 107 miles per hour (MPH) indicated airspeed (IAS). The owner's manual lists the following stall speeds with the landing gear down and flaps extended 45 degrees: 81 MPH IAS at 0 degrees of bank; 83 MPH IAS at 20 degrees of bank; 92 MPH IAS at 40 degrees of bank; 115 MPH IAS at 60 degrees of bank. A postaccident examination of the aircraft was conducted and no anomalies were found that could be associated with a preexisting condition.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 9,000 as pilot in command; 170 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 22, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,442 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 2001; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,350 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Transport Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: SNY Sidney NE at 7:50 pm
- Destination: MIC Minneapolis MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32R, 3,263 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from MIC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N8247Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.