Piper PA-30 accident near Thief River Fls, Minnesota, March 18, 1991
On March 18, 1991 at about 1:49 am local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N8290Y, was destroyed in an accident near Thief River Fls, Minnesota (Thief River Regional airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER IFR PROCEDURE OF THE PILOT, WHILE INTERCEPTING THE ILS LOCALIZER, BY NOT MAINTIANING THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) FOR THAT SEGMENT OF THE APPROACH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 1991 · about 1:49 am local time
- Place
- Thief River Fls, Minnesota · Thief River Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N8290Y · no longer on the register · serial 30-1428
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, THE PLT WAS ADZD THAT THE 1745 CST WX WAS 500' BKN, 1000' OVC, VIS 3-1/2 MI WITH FOG. HE MADE AN ILS RWY 31 APCH, BUT AT 1928 CST, HE RPRTD A MISSED APCH. HE STATED THAT HE HAD SEEN 'THE LIGHTS' & REQUESTED ANOTHER APCH. THE ACFT WAS VECTORED FOR A 2ND ILS. WHEN IT WAS ABOUT 5 MI FROM THE OUTER MARKER (FAF), THE PLT WAS CLRD FOR THE APCH & TO CHANGE TO AN ADZY FREQ. HOWEVER, ABOUT 3 MI SE OF THE FAF, THE ACFT FLEW INTO LEVEL TERRAIN, WHILE STILL ON A WESTERLY HDG. MIN DSCNT ALT (MDA) FOR THIS SEGMENT OF THE APCH WAS 2700' MSL; THE ARPT ELEV WAS 1116'). NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRFRAME OR ENG WAS FOUND. THE 1945 CST WX AT THE ARPT HAD DETERIORATED TO 200' OVC & 1/4 MI VIS WITH FOG.
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 land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BZN Bozeman MT at 9:15 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 6,503 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: broken clouds at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from TVF
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.