Cessna 310 accident near Brownton, Minnesota, October 20, 1987
On October 20, 1987 at about 6:30 am local time, a Cessna 310, registered N57DS, was destroyed in an accident near Brownton, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 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 20, 1987 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Brownton, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 · all 310s on the register
- Registration
- N57DS · no longer on the register · serial 35496
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT CRASHED IN OPEN FARM FIELD DURING NIGHT DARK CONDITIONS WITNESS HEARD LOUD ROAR OF ENGS THEN A HARD DULL THUD AND THEN SILENCE. ANGLE OF IMPACT WAS NEAR VERTICAL. ENGS WERE BURIED 8FT AND DIST OF WRECKAGE WAS CONFINED TO WITHIN THE DIMENSIONS OF ACFT. PLT GIVEN PIREP ON FLT TO OGALLALA ADVISING OF TURB AND RIME ICE. NO RADIO CONTACT OR WEATHER UPDATE REQUEST ON FLT BACK TO CRYSTAL CITY. THE WX AT THE ACC SITE WAS UNKNOWN EXCEPT FOR A RESIDENT NEAR THE SITE WHO SAID IT WAS COLD BUT NOT RAINING WHEN SHE HEARD THE SOUND OF THE ACFT AND THE THUD OF WHAT SHE BELIEVED WAS THE ACFT CRASHING. THE FSS AT REDWOOD FALLS, MN, ABOUT 36 NM FROM THE ACC SITE, REPORTED AT 0100 CDT OBS 1000 FT SCATTERED, 1500 FT OVERCAST AND 12 MILES VISIBILITY.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 539 hours in all; 79 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 357 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,327 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1987; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,600 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGA Ogallala NE
- Destination: MIC Crystal City MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 am from RWF, 38 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.