Cessna 402B accident near Watertown, South Dakota, December 31, 1997
On December 31, 1997, a Cessna 402B, registered N5087Q, was destroyed in an accident near Watertown, South Dakota (Watertown Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to perform an aircraft preflight and to remove the ice which had accumulated on the airframe. A factor involved in the accident was the icing weather conditions which existed and the ice which accumulated on the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 1997
- Place
- Watertown, South Dakota · Watertown Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5087Q · no longer on the register · serial 402B0565
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed at Watertown, loaded and off-loaded cargo, and departed without getting out of the airplane. A witness reported seeing the airplane over the runway at an altitude of about 50 feet agl. The airplane was described to be bouncing and buffeting. Another witness reported the weather as overcast with occasional snow flakes. The airplane then descended, impacted the terrain and exploded. Post accident inspection revealed a 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick ridge of rime ice along the leading edge of the left horizontal stabilizer. Pieces of arc shaped ice were located along the wreckage path. Inspection of the wreckage failed to reveal any preimpact failure/malfunction of the engine or airframe which would have prevented flight.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 25, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-EB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Sioux Falls Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: ATY
- Destination: MML Marshall MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 6,901 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 330° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from ATY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.