Piper PA-28-140 accident near Marshall, Minnesota, August 17, 1993
On August 17, 1993 at about 2:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N4477X, was destroyed in an accident near Marshall, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER DECISION TO DEPART AFTER RECEIVING A WEATHER BRIEFING WHICH FORECASTED IMC EN ROUTE AND HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 1993 · about 2:10 pm local time
- Place
- Marshall, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N4477X · registry record · serial 287625041
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT WAS ADVISED OF IMC ALONG HIS PROPOSED ROUTE OF FLIGHT BY THE FAA WEATHER BRIEFER. HE ELECTED TO DEPART ANYWAY AND MET DETERIORATING WEATHER CONDITIONS EN ROUTE. HE WROTE IN HIS REPORT TO THE NTSB THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO TURN AROUND AWAY FROM THE LOW CLOUDS, WHEN HE INADVERTENTLY ENTERED A CLOUD AND BECAME DISORIENTED. WHEN THE AIRPLANE CAME OUT OF THE CLOUD, IT WAS NOSE LOW AND DESCENDING. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE DESCENT AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND.
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: 300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,828 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 1990; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D19 Luverne MN at 2:30 pm
- Destination: MML Willmar MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 0.8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded at 100 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:36 pm from MML, 5 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N4477X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.