Piper PA-28-235 accident near Jackson, Minnesota, July 21, 2003
On July 21, 2003 at about 12:39 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-235, registered N33774, was destroyed in an accident near Jackson, Minnesota (Jackson Muni airport). It was a personal 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
- July 21, 2003 · about 12:39 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson, Minnesota · Jackson Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-235 · all PA-28-235s on the register
- Registration
- N33774 · no longer on the register · serial 28-75-10061
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported seeing the airplane flying "normal" at an altitude of 600-800 feet above ground level on an east-southeasterly heading. The witness stated the airplane then turned to the left and descended straight down to the ground. Two other witnesses, who were about 1 mile away from the airport, reported seeing the airplane heading straight down toward the ground. The pilot had a long history of depression. Three days prior to the accident, the pilot was hospitalized due to an attempted suicide. The pilot was released from the hospital on the day prior to the accident.
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: 658 hours in all; 443 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 530 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 26, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,156.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 2003; 1,432.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MJQ Jackson MN
- Destination: MJQ Jackson MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 12:36 pm from MJQ, 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.