Piper PA-28-140 accident near Dickinson, North Dakota, May 10, 1997
On May 10, 1997 at about 12:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N280TC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dickinson, North Dakota (Dickinson Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilots failure to maintain directional control of the airplane. A factor associated with the accident was the pilot's runway selection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 1997 · about 12:20 pm local time
- Place
- Dickinson, North Dakota · Dickinson Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N280TC · registry record · serial 28-21227
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was practicing touch and go landings on runway 25. According to the pilot, he called Unicom for a weather check and was told the winds had changed so he decided to land on runway 32. He reported that during the landing, the winds changed back to 250 degrees. The left wing of the airplane rose and the airplane veered off the side of the runway. The airplane traveled into the grass where the nose gear collapsed and the right win contacted the terrain. Local winds were reported as 240 degrees at 15 knots, 13 minutes after the accident.
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: student
- Flight time: 17 hours in all; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,202 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 14, 1997; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-EA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DIK at 6:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 6,400 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:33 pm from DIK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 CHI97LA125.