Cessna 172RG accident near Larimore, North Dakota, January 21, 1989
On January 21, 1989 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9439B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Larimore, North Dakota (Larimore airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE STUDENT PILOT TO ATTAIN A PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT, HIS DELAY IN CONFIGURING THE AIRCRAFT & EXECUTING THE GO-AROUND, ICY/SNOWY RUNWAY CONDITIONS, AND THE SNOWBANK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 1989 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Larimore, North Dakota · Larimore · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9439B · registry record · serial 172RG0822
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI SAID THE STUDENT PLT WAS AT THE CONTROLS & WAS MAKING A TOUCH-&-GO LANDING ON RWY 12, WHICH WAS 2800 X 50 FT. THE WIND WAS FROM THE SOUTH AT 10 KTS. THE TRAINEE LANDED LONG, & BY THE TIME THE ACFT WAS RECONFIGURED FOR TAKEOFF, ONLY ABOUT 800 FT OF RWY WAS REMAINING. THE CFI THOUGHT THE TRAINEE WOULD STOP & TAXI BACK FOR TAKEOFF; HOWEVER, THE TRAINEE ADVANCED THE THROTTLE FOR TAKEOFF. AT THAT TIME, THE CFI TOOK THE CONTROLS, CLOSED THE THROTTLE & ATTEMPTED TO STOP. THE ACFT SLID TO THE LEFT ON THE PACKED SNOW & ICE COVERED RWY, COLLIDED WITH A SNOW BANK BESIDE THE RWY & NOSED OVER.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 589 hours in all; 59 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 457 as pilot in command; 173 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,195 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 14, 1989; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: University Of North Dakota
The flight
- Departed from: GFK Grand Forks ND at 2:50 pm
- Destination: GFK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 2,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN89LA066.