Piper PA-22 accident near Houston, Minnesota, August 22, 1982
On August 22, 1982 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-22, registered N8601C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houston, Minnesota. It was a personal 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).
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
- August 22, 1982 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22 · all PA-22s on the register
- Registration
- N8601C · no longer on the register · serial 22-1283
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING BEFORE DEPARTING ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT FROM WEST BEND, WI TO WASECA, MN. REPORTEDLY, THE CEILING WAS 2500 TO 3000 FT OR BETTER (AS BRIEFED) UNTIL AFTER CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE WEATHER THEN BEGAN TO DETERIORATE AND THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TURBULENCE. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE FLEW INTO A MISTY CONDITION THAT OBSCURED HIS FORWARD VISIBILITY. HE FOUND HIMSELF IN A VALLEY WITH THE SURROUNDING HILLTOPS "NEARLY OBSCURED" AND ELECTED TO LAND IN A HARVESTED FIELD. A DOWNWIND LANDING WAS MADE TO AVOID OBSTRUCTIONS AT THE WINDWARD END OF THE FIELD. AFTER ROUNDOUT, THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO FLOAT, AND WHEN THE PILOT REALIZED HE WAS RUNNING OUT OF ROOM, HE INITIATED A GO-AROUND. HE APPLIED POWER AND RETRACTED THE FLAPS FROM FULL DOWN TO FULL UP, BUT THE AIRCRAFT'S ABILITY TO CLIMB AND ACCELERATE WERE NEGLIGIBLE. TO AVOID HITTING TREES, THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND IN A RIVER NEAR THE END OF THE FIELD.
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: 91 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 52 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,737 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rolf E. Iverson LTD.
The flight
- Departed from: West Bend WI at 7:45 am
- Destination: Waseca MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.