Cessna accident near Crookston, Minnesota, December 2, 2006
On December 2, 2006, a Cessna, registered N9850G, was destroyed in an accident near Crookston, Minnesota (Crookston Muni Kirkwood Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions which led to his spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control. Factors were the snow, the low ceiling, and the pilot's lack of instrument flight experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 2, 2006
- Place
- Crookston, Minnesota · Crookston Muni Kirkwood Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna
- Registration
- N9850G · no longer on the register · serial 17259750
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane took off in deteriorating meteorological conditions and impacted the ground about 1 mile from the departure airport, fatally injuring both occupants. The pilot held a private pilot certificate and had accumulated 102.5 hours of total flight experience but only 4.6 hours of simulated instrument experience; he had no actual flying experience in instrument conditions. Near the time of the accident, the weather was reported as a ceiling of 200 feet above the ground with snow and 1 mile of visibility. It is likely that the non-instrument rated private pilot’s decision to take off in deteriorating weather conditions was due to his lack of flying experience; once he took off into the instrument meteorological conditions, he became spatially disoriented and was unable to maintain control of the airplane. Examination of the airplane revealed no pre-impact anomalies.
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: 103 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,526 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 2006; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: CKN Crookston MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 4,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from CKN, 1 miles away
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.