Maule M-7-235 accident near Mcintosh, South Dakota, May 2, 1994
On May 2, 1994 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Maule M-7-235, registered N525GS, was destroyed in an accident near Mcintosh, South Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
VFR FLIGHT BY THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE (OR CLEARANCE) FROM RISING TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO UPDATE HIS WEATHER INFORMATION AT THE EN ROUTE STOP, THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, RISING TERRAIN, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 1994 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mcintosh, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-7-235 · all M-7-235s on the register
- Registration
- N525GS · no longer on the register · serial 4123C
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 1635 CDT ON 5/1/94 & AT 0319 CDT ON 5/2/94, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT CONTACTED THE GREEN BAY FLIGHT SERVICE STATION (FSS) & GOT WEATHER INFO FOR A FLIGHT FROM GREEN BAY, WI, TO MILES CITY, MT. HE WAS ADVISED THAT VFR CONDITIONS WERE EXPECTED ALONG HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT, WITH A POSSIBILITY OF SHOWERS INCREASING AS HE NEARED HIS DESTINATION. AFTER TAKEOFF, HE CONTACTED THE PRINCETON & HURON FSS'S & OBTAINED WINDS & AN ABBREVIATED WEATHER BRIEFING FOR THE ROUTE TO ABERDEEN, SD. AT ABOUT 0800, AN EN ROUTE STOP WAS MADE IN VFR CONDITIONS AT ABERDEEN TO REFUEL. THE PILOT DEPARTED AT ABOUT 0900 WITHOUT UPDATING HIS WEATHER INFO. NEAR MCINTOSH, SD, WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE FLYING LOW IN POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS (LOW CLOUDS & FOG). SUBSEQUENTLY, IT IMPACTED RISING TERRAIN. ABOUT 10 DAYS LATER, IT WAS LOCATED PARTIALLY SUBMERGED IN A POND. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. AT 0745 ON 5/2/94, AN AIRMET WAS ISSUED TO WARN OF OCCASIONAL LOW CEILINGS & VISIBILITIES WITH PRECIPITATION & FOG FROM TEXAS THROUGH THE DAKOTAS.
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: 1,303 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,253 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 83 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 7, 1993; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABR Aberdeen SD at 3:00 pm
- Destination: MLS Miles City MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.