Amateur-built BEDE 5B accident near Park Rapids, Minnesota, April 5, 1991
On April 5, 1991 at about 10:42 pm local time, a amateur-built BEDE 5B, registered N334DF, was destroyed in an accident near Park Rapids, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL AND SUBSEQUENT SPIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 1991 · about 10:42 pm local time
- Place
- Park Rapids, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BEDE 5B
- Registration
- N334DF · no longer on the register · serial 2334
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS OBSERVED FLYING HIS MODIFIED HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE OVER THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT AFTER A 20 MINUTE LOCAL FLIGHT. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS AT AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 3,500 FEET WHEN IT ENTERED A SPIRAL/SPIN AND DESCENDED TO THE GROUND. FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ACCIDENT FOR SEVERAL DAYS, AND THE WRECKAGE HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE. AIRCRAFT RECORDS AND PILOT LOGBOOKS WERE NOT LOCATED. POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE WAS CONDUCTED IN THE HANGAR WHERE IT WAS STORED, AND REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTION/DIFFICULTY.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Honda D15B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N334DF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.