Cessna 172K accident near Fairmont, Minnesota, March 30, 1982
On March 30, 1982 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N84344, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairmont, Minnesota (Fairmont Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1982 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fairmont, Minnesota · Fairmont Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N84344 · no longer on the register · serial 17258431
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED ADVERSE WEATHER AND ELECTED TO LAND AT FAIRMONT,MINNESOTA. WHILE TAXIING AFTER LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER IN STRONG WIND CONDITIONS.
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: 111 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 86 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,316 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Combo Furnace Sales, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: St. Francis MN at 12:15 pm
- Destination: Spencer IA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 20, 3,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 30 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 113°F (45°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.