Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Saint Cloud, Minnesota, April 17, 2001
On April 17, 2001 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-180, registered N7576J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Saint Cloud, Minnesota (St Cloud Muni airport). 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 inadvertent wheels-up landing by the pilot. A factor was the pilots failure to follow the before landing checklist.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2001 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Saint Cloud, Minnesota · St Cloud Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · all PA-28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7576J · registry record · serial 28R-30965
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged during a wheels-up landing. In a written statement the pilot stated that he, "...forgot to lower [the] wheels." One item of the 'Before landing check list' says, "5. Gear - DOWN & LOCKED (150 MPH MAX)."
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: 548 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 548 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 12, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,552 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 4, 2000; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STC St Cloud MN
- Destination: STC St Cloud MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 5,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.44 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from STC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.