Aeronca 65-TF accident near Staples, Minnesota, May 23, 1982
On May 23, 1982 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Aeronca 65-TF, registered N31765, was substantially damaged in an accident near Staples, Minnesota. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- May 23, 1982 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Staples, Minnesota
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 65-TF · all 65-TFs on the register
- Registration
- N31765 · registry record · serial F6420T
- 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 MAKING LOW PASSES OVER A RIVER IN SEARCH OF A DROWNED MAN. HE MADE A STEEP RIGHT TURN AND THE AIRCRAFT STALLED, DOVE INTO TREES AND IMPACTED THE GROUND NOSE FIRST. THE PILOT STATED THE AIRCRAFT'S DOOR HAD BEEN REMOVED AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD DIFFERENT STALL CHARACTERISTICS WITH THE DOOR REMOVED.
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: 239 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,449 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 4AC-176B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Staples MN at 11:10 am
- Destination: Staples MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 009° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 250 ft
- Temperature: 153°F (67°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.