Cessna 172RG accident near Woodbury, Minnesota, April 29, 1984
On April 29, 1984 at about 11:22 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N6446V, was destroyed in an accident near Woodbury, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- April 29, 1984 · about 11:22 pm local time
- Place
- Woodbury, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6446V · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0707
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A RADIO ANTENNA SUPPORT CABLE AT APRX 171 FT AGL DURING LOW ALTITUDE MANEUVERING IN SNOW SHOWERS.ONE WITNESS STATED THAT THE HEAVIEST SNOW SHOWERS WERE IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. A POLICEMAN SAW THE ACFT OVER A FIELD NEAR THE KDWB RADIO ANTENNA. DURING THE WX BRIEFING THAT THE PLT RECEIVED 11 HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE WX WAS FORECAST TO CONSIST OF LOWERING CEILINGS, TURBULENCE AND ICING FOR THE PLANNED AFTERNOON RETURN FLT. ACCORDING TO RELATIVES WHO SAW THE FLT DEPART PRAIRIE DUE CHIEN AT ABOUT 1600 HRS CDT, IT WAS RAINING. LATER IN THE FLT THE PLT ANNOUNCED OVER THE RADIO THAT HE WAS DISORIENTED AND WHEN ASST WAS OFFERED HE STATED, 'I SURE COULD USE IT, YES.' HE WAS GIVEN VECTORS BY APPROACH CONTROL AND TOLD TO STEER 260 DEGREES. WHEN ASKED HIS ALT HE DID NOT RESPOND. THELAST RADAR CONTACT WAS IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 560 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 426 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 624 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 6, 1983; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDC Prairie Duchien WI at 9:00 pm
- Destination: STP St.Paul MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:25 pm from STP, 6 miles away
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.