Cessna 180 accident near Walker, Minnesota, August 6, 1991
On August 6, 1991 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N1637C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Walker, Minnesota (Walker airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AFTER LANDING WAS NOT MAINTAINED BY THE PILOT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE A GUSTY CROSSWIND AND A DOWNHILL EMBANKMENT (DITCH).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1991 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Walker, Minnesota · Walker · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N1637C · registry record · serial 30337
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND IN A GUSTY CROSSWIND, DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS NOT MAINTAINED. THE AIRCRAFT CAREENED DOWN AN EMBANKMENT RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL GEAR AND WING DAMAGE.
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: 860 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,300 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, July 1, 1991; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Slater Airman, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Slater IA at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 2,803 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.
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.