Piper PA-34-200T accident near Kenmare, North Dakota, August 26, 2002
On August 26, 2002 at about 1:45 am local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N9696C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kenmare, North Dakota (Kenmare Municipal airport). It was a business 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 misjudgment of distance and speed. Factors associated with the accident were the sudden wind shift which resulted in a tailwind condition and the rough terrain encountered during the overrun landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2002 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Kenmare, North Dakota · Kenmare Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N9696C · registry record · serial 34-7870210
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with the terrain during an overrun landing. The flight was conducting cloud seeding operations. The pilot-in-command stated they ran out of chemical near Kenmare, so they decided to land there. They over flew the runway and noticed the windsock was indicating a wind out of the northeast and they were not that strong. The pilot said they then entered the traffic pattern for runway 08 and flew the approach with 2 notches of flaps. She reported she noticed the airplane was still at 90 knots while close to the runway. The copilot added the last notch of flaps and the airplane touched down approximately one-quarter the way down the runway. The pilot-in-command stated the airplane would not slow down on the runway even though both she and the copilot were applying the brakes. She stated that she then applied full throttle in an attempt to abort the landing, however it was too late and the airplane traveled off the end of the runway. The airplane skipped over a road and came to rest after skidding sideways in a field. She said that once they exited the airplane, she noticed that the winds had shifted and that there was now a strong wind from the west. The closest aviation weather reporting station is located at Minot, North Dakota, located 37 nautical miles southeast of Kenmare. The winds reported during an observation taken at 2054 were from 110 degrees at 8 knots. The next observation taken at 2154, showed the winds were from 350 degrees at 17 knots gusting to 23 knots.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,224 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 1,025 as pilot in command; 827 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 8, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 345 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 71 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: January 5, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,679 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 26, 2002; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental TSIO-360-EB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 08D Stanley ND at 10:46 pm
- Destination: 7K5 Kenmare ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 3,700 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.