Cessna 172RG accident near Litchfield, Minnesota, November 27, 1991
On November 27, 1991, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9589B, was destroyed in an accident near Litchfield, Minnesota. It was a personal 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
PILOT FACTOR IN THAT HE HAD SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT ARE; VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC, DISREGARDING HAZARDOUS WEATHER ADVISORIES, PERFORMING FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND OVERCONFIDENCE IN PERSONAL ABILITY BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 27, 1991
- Place
- Litchfield, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9589B · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0902
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT WHO WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED ATTEMPTED VFR CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT IN IMC CONDITIONS. AIRCRAFT AND THE FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD WERE MISSING FOR THREE DAYS. AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND CRASHED INTO FROZEN LAKE HALF WAY TO INTENDED DESTINATION. PILOT GOT TWO WEATHER BRIEFINGS DURING WHICH HE WAS ADVISED OF IMC CONDITIONS ALONG HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT AND AT INTENDED DESTINATION, AND THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED.
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: 269 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 193 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,606 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 4, 1991; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wright Aero, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: STC St. Cloud MN
- Destination: RWF Redwood Falls MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from STC, 35 miles away
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.