Piper PA-31-350 accident near Ardoch, North Dakota, August 18, 1995
On August 18, 1995 at about 9:42 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N85115, was destroyed in an accident near Ardoch, North Dakota. It was a business 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
the pilot-in-command's continuing flight into adverse weather. Factors were the pilot-in-command's failure to obtain a weather observation and the adverse weather.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 1995 · about 9:42 pm local time
- Place
- Ardoch, North Dakota
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N85115 · no longer on the register · serial 31-7405182
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After deplaning passengers at Thief River Falls after an air taxi flight, the pilot was reportedly anxious to return to his base in Minot to prepare for another trip the following day, and left for the return trip within a few minutes after his arrival at Thief River Falls. There was no record of a weather briefing. Observations of Doppler radar by the University of North Dakota, and a Safety Board meterological study, show that the airplane had penetrated a thunderstorm when control was lost. The airplane had encountered the center of a microburst, and was located directly under the downdraft.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 40,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,814 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 14, 1995; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TSIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TVF Thief Rvr Falls MN at 9:25 pm
- Destination: MOT Minot ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from GFK, 15 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 N85115 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.