Piper PA-28-161 accident near Fargo, North Dakota, October 6, 2006
On October 6, 2006 at about 3:40 am local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N275ND, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fargo, North Dakota. It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate flare which resulted in a hard landing. Factors associated with the accident were the gusty winds and the pilot's lack of experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 2006 · about 3:40 am local time
- Place
- Fargo, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N275ND · registry record · serial 2842097
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged during a hard night landing. The private pilot was on a night cross country solo training flight when the accident occurred. She stated the landing was made on runway 18 with the winds reported as being from 150 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 19 knots. The pilot stated she encountered light turbulence on final approach and that the airspeed was 80 knots, which is higher than normal. The pilot stated that during the landing the nose gear and propeller struck the runway prior to the main gear due to the "...inadequate amount of flare... ." She stated the airplane then bounced twice prior to coming to a stop. The pilot reported having 87.5 hours of flight time of which 13 hours were as pilot-in-command.
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
- Flight time: 88 hours in all; 88 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 13 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFD Sioux Falls SD at 2:05 am
- Destination: FAR Fargo ND
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI07CA003.