Piper PA-18-150 accident near Int'L Falls, Minnesota, October 25, 1986
On October 25, 1986 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4875A, was destroyed in an accident near Int'L Falls, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- October 25, 1986 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Int'L Falls, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4875A · registry record · serial 18-4974
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED MANEUVERING OVER THE PASSENGERS HOUSE JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE PLT CIRCLED THE RESIDENCE WITH THE ACFT WINGS ALMOST PERPENDICULAR TO THE GROUND AT AN ALT BETWEEN 150 AND 200 FT AGL. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, AS THE WINGS REACHED THE PERPENDICULAR POSITION, THE ACFT ENTERED A SPIRAL AND DESCENDED TO GROUND IMPACT.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 563 hours in all; 512 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 533 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,519 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 1986; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,625 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: RLA Int'L Falls MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from INL, 4 miles away
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.