Cessna 401 accident near Grand Island, Nebraska, November 27, 1990
On November 27, 1990 at about 4:37 pm local time, a Cessna 401, registered N10QP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Island, Nebraska (Grand Island airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND FLARE MISJUDGED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: ICING CONDITIONS RESULTING IN REDUCED AIRCRAFT CONTROLLABILITY AND RESTRICTED VISUAL OUTLOOK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 27, 1990 · about 4:37 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Island, Nebraska · Grand Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 401 · all 401s on the register
- Registration
- N10QP · no longer on the register · serial 401-0025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF HE ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TO HEAVY ICING CONDITIONS. HE ELECTED TO RETURN TO HIS DEPARTURE APT, AND WAS OBSERVED BY ATC PERSONNEL TO MAKE AN ERRATIC FINAL APPROACH, THEN DROPPING FROM ABOUT 20 FEET AGL TO THE RUNWAY. PILOT WAS ABLE TO TAXI THE ACFT TO THE RAMP WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT, BUT POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED BOTH WING SPARS DAMAGED AND A DAMAGED RIGHT PROPELLER.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,804 hours in all; 2,658 as pilot in command; 326 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Suburban Air Freight INC.
The flight
- Destination: EAR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 1,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:37 pm from GRI
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.