Piper PA-34-200 accident near Bismarck, North Dakota, February 6, 1986
On February 6, 1986 at about 4:37 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200, registered N55654, was destroyed in an accident near Bismarck, North Dakota (Bismark Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 6, 1986 · about 4:37 pm local time
- Place
- Bismarck, North Dakota · Bismark Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200 · all PA-34-200s on the register
- Registration
- N55654 · no longer on the register · serial 34-7350235
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED DESCENDING OUT OF A LOW CEILING WHEN IT SUDDENLY MADE AN ABRUPT LEFT TURN. ENGINE NOISE SEEMED TO INCREASE MOMENTARILY AND THEN THE NOSE OF THE ACFT DROPPED TO A NEAR VERTICAL POSITION. THE TWIN ENGINE ACFT CRASHED INTO A VACANT HOUSE TRAILER DESTROYING THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED 2 FUEL INJECTOR NOZZLES OF THE LEFT ENGINE WERE CLOGGED WITH FOREIGN MATERIAL AND CONTAMINATION WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL CONTROL UNIT OF THE SAME ENGINE.
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: 488 hours in all; 124 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 1985; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIS Bismarck ND at 5:31 pm
- Destination: FAR Fargo ND
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 31, 8,788 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:43 pm from BIS, 1 miles away
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.