Cessna 172 accident near Duluth, Minnesota, July 23, 1989
On July 23, 1989 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N97984, was substantially damaged in an accident near Duluth, Minnesota (Sky Harbor airport). It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AIRCRAFT CONTROL WAS NOT MAINTAINED BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND DUE TO IMPROPER USE OF THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROLS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1989 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Duluth, Minnesota · Sky Harbor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N97984 · registry record · serial 17276244
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER A PERSONAL CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO LAND, WITH VARIABLE SURFACE WINDS OF 5 TO 10 KNOTS. THE PLT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE ACFT AND VEERED OFF THE RUNWAY, ON TO THE SANDY BORDER, THEN 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
What happened, in order
- LOSS OF CONTROL - ON GROUND/WATER during landing - roll
- ON GROUND/WATER ENCOUNTER WITH TERRAIN/WATER during landing - roll
- NOSE OVER during landing - roll
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none
- Flight time: 119 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 75 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 3
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: ANE Anoka MN at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,051 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°C, dew point 59°C
- Altimeter: 30 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from DLH, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N97984 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 MKC89LA164.