Piper PA-32-260 accident near Lakeville, Minnesota, October 31, 1997
On October 31, 1997 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N3359W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lakeville, Minnesota (Airlake airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel starvation due a deteriorated grommet in an Adel clamp, and a loose mixture control cable.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 1997 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeville, Minnesota · Airlake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N3359W · registry record · serial 32-205
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that no abnormalities were found during preflight, engine start, or run-up. He said the manifold pressure, RPM, and engine gauges were all normal during the takeoff roll and takeoff. Also, he reported that after climbing to approximately 125 feet AGL, just beyond the threshold of the runway, the airplane experienced a sudden and complete power loss, 'as if the engine was being starved for fuel.' About two seconds later, the engine surged, and then quit again. The pilot landed straight ahead in a freshly plowed field. During the landing, the airplane rolled across about 300 feet of rough terrain before the nose gear collapsed. A postaccident examination and test run the engine were performed. The engine started and ran normally. Examination of the mixture control cable revealed that a rubber grommet in the 'Adel clamp,' which secured the mixture control cable outer housing, had deteriorated. This permitted the control cable and outer cable housing to shift aft.
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: 285 hours in all; 198 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 271 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 30, 1997; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LVN at 11:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:17 pm from LVN, 1 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.