Piper PA-23 accident near Mitchell, South Dakota, February 18, 1982
On February 18, 1982 at about 2:50 am local time, a Piper PA-23, registered N5799Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mitchell, South Dakota (Mitchell Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 1982 · about 2:50 am local time
- Place
- Mitchell, South Dakota · Mitchell Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23 · all PA-23s on the register
- Registration
- N5799Y · no longer on the register · serial 27-2930
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PILOT APPROACHED SIOUX FALLS HE RECEIVED INFORMATION THAT IT WAS BELOW MINIMUMS, SO HE STARTED TO DIVERT. AS HE PASSED OVER SIOUX FALLS HE COULD SEE MITCHELL, SD, WHICH APPEARED TO BE CLEAR, THEREFORE, HE ELECTED TO LAND THERE. IT CONTINUED TO LOOK CLEAR UNTIL HE WAS ON A SHORT FINAL APPROACH FOR LANDING. WITH THE LANDING LIGHT ON, HIS VISUAL REFERENCES WERE LOST. AFTER TURNING THE LANDING LIGHT OFF, HE COULD AGAIN SEE THE RUNWAY LIGHTS (AT ABOUT 20 FT AGL). AS HE DESCENDED FURTHER THE LIGHTS BECAME BARELY VISIBLE AND HE FLARED AT AN ANGLE TO THE RUNWAY. BY THIS TIME HE REALIZED HE WAS HEADED FOR THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY BUT IT WAS TOO LATE TO CORRECT OR GO AROUND. THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 1/2 ON AND 1/2 OFF THE RUNWAY. AFTER TRAVELING ABOUT 20 FT IN SNOW ABOUT 6 INCHES DEEP, THE NOSE GEAR FAILED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,912 hours in all; 275 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 2,732 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,061 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Four Lakes Aviation CORP
The flight
- Departed from: Waterloo IA at 6:50 pm
- Destination: Sioux Falls SD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12, 6,750 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.