Piper PA-24-250 incident near Thief Rvr Falls, Minnesota, October 14, 1993
On October 14, 1993, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N6846P, was involved in an incident near Thief Rvr Falls, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE PROPELLER BLADE, ORIGINATING FROM A CORROSION PIT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 1993
- Place
- Thief Rvr Falls, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6846P · no longer on the register · serial 24-1979
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 8500 FEET MSL, THERE WAS A SEPARATION OF APPROXIMATELY ONE FOOT OF THE OUTBOARD PORTION OF ONE PROPELLER BLADE. THE PILOT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING IN A SUNFLOWER FIELD. EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED PROPELLER BLADE REVEALED IT HAD FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE. THE ORIGIN OF THE FATIGUE FRACTURE WAS AT A CORROSION PIT ON THE CAMBER SURFACE OF THE BLADE MEASURING 0.012 INCH WIDE AND 0.0014 INCH DEEP.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,968 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,942 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1992; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RAD Warroad MN
- Destination: ND03 Arthur ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.