Cessna 152 accident near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, January 28, 1984
On January 28, 1984 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N25469, was substantially damaged in an accident near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota (Detroit Lakes airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- January 28, 1984 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Detroit Lakes, Minnesota · Detroit Lakes · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N25469 · registry record · serial 15280675
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A SNOW EMBANKMENT 15 TO 20 FT SHORT OF THE RWY ON FINAL APPROACH. THE ACFT GOT LOW AND SLOW ON FINAL ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTOR AND HE BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT A HARD LANDING. AS HE ADVANCED THE THROTTLE THE ACFT HITTHE EMBANKMENT. THE VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED BY BLOWING SNOW.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,439 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 14, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BJI Bimidji MN at 3:10 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 4,500 ft by 70 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 26.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:08 pm from DTL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.