Eagle DW-1 accident near Murdock, Minnesota, July 21, 1982
On July 21, 1982 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Eagle DW-1, registered N8801Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Murdock, Minnesota (Murlock airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1982 · about 11:40 pm local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- Murdock, Minnesota · Murlock · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eagle DW-1
- Registration
- N8801Y · registry record · serial DW1-1-0011-8
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS EN ROUTE TO A BEAN FIELD WHEN THE GROUND ADJUSTABLE PROPELLER CAME OUT OF ADJUSTMENT. THE PILOT DUMPED THE LOAD AND MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A BEANFIELD. DURING THE LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ADJUSTABLE FIXED PITCH PROPELLER ALUMINUM SLEEVE, THAT HOLDS THE PROPELLER IN A FIXED PITCH, SHEARED OFF IN FLIGHT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,216 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 301 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-M1B5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Murdock MN
- Destination: Murdock MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 185°F (85°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N8801Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8801Y on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-M1B5D 2 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Minnesota 1,544 since 1982 · 209 in the last ten years
- Minnesota 6,953 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N8801Y 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI82DA265.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.