Piper PA-28-160 accident near Faribault, Minnesota, January 26, 1998
On January 26, 1998 at about 10:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28-160, registered N5099W, was destroyed in an accident near Faribault, Minnesota. It was a personal 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
was the pilot's patial incapacitation due to carbon monoxide poisoning. A factor associated with this accident was the mechanic's inadequate inspection of the airplane's muffler and inadequate preflight planning and preparation by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 26, 1998 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Faribault, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-160 · all PA-28-160s on the register
- Registration
- N5099W · no longer on the register · serial 28-111
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a night cross country flight at 2230 cst. The airplane did not arrive at its planned destination at 2330 cst according to the wife of the passenger. The wreckage was found about 4-miles northeast of an airport that had been reporting IFR conditions during the time period the airplane was en route and after its planned arrival. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would prevent flight. The pilot's toxicology report showed about 26-percent carbon monoxide in his blood. The ends of the airplane's muffler were corroded and had many pinhole-sized holes along its edges. Its shroud had baked oil on its inside surface. The muffler had rust on both sides of its body. The airplane had flown about 4-hours during the year before the latest annual inspection had been conducted. The mechanic who had inspected the muffler said he had noticed some small pinhole-sized holes at the muffler's end. He said he did not think they were serious or would cause a problem. This inspection was conducted about 2- months before 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 75 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 38 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,018 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 1997; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BRD Brainerd MN at 4:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:38 am from FBL, 4 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.