Piper PA-44 accident near Thief Rvr Falls, Minnesota, November 22, 1994
On November 22, 1994 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-44, registered N853ND, was substantially damaged in an accident near Thief Rvr Falls, Minnesota (Thief Rvr. Falls airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's delayed remedial action during a simulated forced landing. A factor in the accident is the student pilot's improper landing flare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 1994 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Thief Rvr Falls, Minnesota · Thief Rvr. Falls · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44 · all PA-44s on the register
- Registration
- N853ND · registry record · serial 4495007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) REPORTED HE WAS GIVING A PRIVATE PILOT DUAL INSTRUCTION IN PREPARATION FOR A MULTI-ENGINE RATING. THE CFI SAID THAT SHORTLY AFTER LIFT-OFF, AT AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 150' AGL, HE RETARDED THE RIGHT ENGINE TO IDLE TO SIMULATE A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE PRIVATE PILOT RESPONDED BY REDUCING THE POWER ON THE LEFT ENGINE, AND RETURNING TO THE RUNWAY FOR LANDING. THE CFI WROTE IN HIS REPORT TO THE NTSB THAT THE PRIVATE PILOT MISJUDGED THE LANDING FLARE, AND LANDED HARD, DAMAGING THE AIRPLANE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,470 hours in all; 165 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,058 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 17, 1994; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,816 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1H6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVF at 9:00 pm
- Destination: GFK Grand Forks ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 6,503 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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 N853ND 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.