Piper PA-31-310 accident near St. Paul, Minnesota, September 18, 1986
On September 18, 1986, a Piper PA-31-310, registered N707HB, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Paul, Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- September 18, 1986
- Place
- St. Paul, Minnesota · Minneapolis/St. Paul Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-310 · all PA-31-310s on the register
- Registration
- N707HB · no longer on the register · serial 31-40
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT THE END OF AN UNEVENTFUL FLIGHT THE PILOT LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR AND NOTED THREE GEAR DOWN INDICATOR LIGHTS. UPON LANDING ROLLOUT THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. AN INSPECTION FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THAT A HYDRAULIC LEAK WAS PRESENT NEAR THE HYDRAULIC POWER PACK. THE HYDRAULIC RESERVOIR (WHICH NORMALLY HOLDS 54 OZ OF FLUID) WAS REFILLED WITH 42 OZ OF FLUID. THERE IS NO HYDRAULIC FLUID LEVEL INDICATOR IN THE COCKPIT OF THIS AIRCRAFT.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,736 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 167 in the last 90 days; 5,612 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 15, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TI0-540-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northland Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ABR Aberdeen SD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 11R, 10,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 am from MSP, 1 miles away
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.