Cessna 172P accident near Bismarck, North Dakota, June 1, 1991
On June 1, 1991 at about 6:00 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N5478K, was destroyed in an accident near Bismarck, North Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT ARE FAILURE TO OBTAIN A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEF, VRF FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS AND LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 1991 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Bismarck, North Dakota
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N5478K · no longer on the register · serial 17274144
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT HAD ONLY THREE HOURS OF NIGHT TIME AND DID NOT OBTAIN A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEF. HE ELECTED TO TAKE OFF AT 0050 AND MAKE THE RETURN FLIGHT HOME IN ORDER TO MAKE A MILITARY RESERVE COMMITMENT. THE TEMPERATURE WAS 58 DEGREES F, DEW POINT 56 DEGREES F. THE PILOT TOLD A FRIEND AT THE AIRPORT THAT HE WAS GOING TO FOLLOW THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND THE FOLLOWING MORNING EIGHT MILES NORTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT, AND THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE. A STATE TROOPER ON DUTY AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT REPORTED THAT FOG WAS FORMING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, AND THAT THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS AN AREA WHERE FOG IS VERY COMMON.
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
- Flight time: 70 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,193 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 15, 1991; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-DJ2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight Training, LTD.
The flight
- Departed from: BIS Bismark ND at 5:50 am
- Destination: FAR Fargo ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from BIS, 8 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.