Cessna 172M accident near Backus, Minnesota, July 27, 1996
On July 27, 1996 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N1620V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Backus, Minnesota (Backus Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude and his abrupt maneuver to avoid the tree tops. The dark night was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1996 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Backus, Minnesota · Backus Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1620V · no longer on the register · serial 17263685
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he was above the glidepath on final approach and did not feel comfortable with the situation. He decided to execute a go-around. He advanced the throttle to full power and moved the flap switch up two notches from 40 degrees of flaps to 20 degrees of flaps. 'Everything seemed to be going fine when the next thing I saw was the tree tops.' The pilot 'instinctively pulled back on the yoke' to clear the trees. 'The airplane dipped to the left,' struck the trees and fell to the ground. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies with 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 178 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 139 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,202 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 19, 1996; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIC Minneapolis MN
- Destination: 7Y3
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,588 ft by 145 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 am from PKD, 23 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.
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.