Piper PA-18-150 accident near Baudette, Minnesota, June 11, 1999
On June 11, 1999 at about 1:12 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N305NR, was destroyed in an accident near Baudette, Minnesota. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot inadvertently stalled the airplane. A factor was the low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 1999 · about 1:12 pm local time
- Place
- Baudette, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N305NR · no longer on the register · serial 18-7709127
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted the marsh in a nearly vertical nose down attitude. The propeller and engine were buried in about three feet of water and mud. The wings and tail cone remained attached to the fuselage and were in a vertical position. The leading edges of the left and right wings exhibited leading edge crush along the entire span of the wings. The tail cone was buckled forward. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to the flight controls. The examination of the engine revealed no pre-impact anomalies. The propeller blades exhibited chordwise scratching and nicks in the leading edges of the blades. The pilot had approximately 167 flight hours in the accident airplane. He had demonstrated his proficiency with stalls and slow flight in the accident airplane when he had his Biennial Flight Review on April 25, 1999. The airplane's stall warning horn had been deactivated soon after it was obtained in 1977. The airplane's total time was 7,067 hours. The moose telemetry flights were conducted between 200 to 500 feet agl.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,399 hours in all; 167 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,067 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1999; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MN at 12:00 pm
- Destination: BJI Bemidji MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from BDE, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.