Piper PA-46-350P accident near Rochester, Minnesota, December 22, 1994
On December 22, 1994 at about 5:52 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-350P, registered N133MA, was destroyed in an accident near Rochester, Minnesota (Rochester Municiple airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE, WHILE CLIMBING IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AFTER TAKEOFF. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FOG, LOW CEILING, THE PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, AND THE EXCESSIVE GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 1994 · about 5:52 pm local time
- Place
- Rochester, Minnesota · Rochester Municiple · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-350P · all PA-46-350Ps on the register
- Registration
- N133MA · registry record · serial 4622133
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED ON RUNWAY 31 IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND TURNED RIGHT TO A HEADING OF 090 DEGREES. RADAR CONTACT (ARTS TAG) WAS ACQUIRED ABOUT 1 TO 2 MILES NORTH OF THE AIRPORT. REPORTEDLY, THE ARTS TAG WOULD TYPICALLY BE ACQUIRED AS THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED THROUGH AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 700 FEET AGL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE CRASHED ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF THE AIRPORT. A WITNESS REPORTED HEARING A LOUD ENGINE NOISE BEFORE THE PLANE CRASHED. THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS ORIENTED ALONG A WESTERLY HEADING AND OVER AN AREA OF ABOUT 380 FEET. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP. AN OUTBOARD PORTION OF THE RIGHT WING WAS FOUND ABOUT 150 FEET FROM THE MAIN IMPACT CRATER. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THE RIGHT WING HAD FAILED NEAR THE PRODUCTION SEAM. THE RIGHT SPAR EXHIBITED FEATURES 'TYPICAL OF AN UPWARD BENDING OVERSTRESS SEPARATION.' EXAMINATION REVEALED NO OTHER EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT AIRCRAFT OR ENGINE MALFUNCTION. THE AIRPLANE'S GROSS WEIGHT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 4696 POUNDS; ITS MAX LIMIT WAS 4300 POUNDS. THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK INDICATED THAT HE HAD FLOWN ONLY 2 INSTRUMENT APPROACHES IN THE PREVIOUS 14 MONTHS.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 106 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 1994; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 8A1 Guntersville AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 7,533 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from RST
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI95FA061.