Cessna 172RG accident near Hawley, Minnesota, June 19, 1991
On June 19, 1991 at about 2:25 am local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9431D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hawley, Minnesota. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INATTENTIVENESS OF BOTH THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND THE STUDENT PILOT, AND FAILURE TO USE CARBURETOR HEAT. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT IS THE UNSUITABLE TERRAIN ENCOUNTERED DURING THE FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1991 · about 2:25 am local time
- Place
- Hawley, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9431D · registry record · serial 172RG1159
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE RATED STUDENT PILOT AND CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WERE ON A VFR CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. TWENTY MILES FROM THE INTENDED DESTINATION, STUDENT PILOT STARTED DESCENT FROM CRUISING ALTITUDE OF 6,500 FEET. APPROXIMATELY FOUR MINUTES LATER THE ENGINE LOST POWER. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A FIELD. DURING LANDING ROLL THE AIRCRAFT HIT A DITCH SEPARATING THE FIELD THE PILOT LANDED IN AND THE FIELD ADJACENT TO IT. AFTER REMOVAL FROM THE FIELD, THE ENGINE WAS STARTED, AND RAN WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. CONDITIONS WERE FAVORABLE FOR CARBURETOR ICING, TEMPERATURE 72 DEGREES F, DEW POINT 53 DEGREES F.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,692 hours in all; 82 in this make and model; 205 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 1,642 as pilot in command; 1,049 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,658 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Crystal Shampock, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MIC Minneapolis MN
- Destination: FAR Fargo ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from FAR, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N9431D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI91LA196.