Cessna 172C N8432X

Summary

On 11 May 1982 at about 02:41 local time, a Cessna 172C registered N8432X, operated by Donald Maki, was involved in an accident near Sunburg, Minnesota, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

11 May 1982 at 02:41

Classification

Accident

Location

Sunburg, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 172C

Registration

N8432X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Donald Maki

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Woodruff → Benson

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CHI82FA160

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT RECEIVED SEVERAL WEATHER BRIEFINGS AND WAS ADVISED OF A SEVERE COLD FRONT AND THUNDERSTORMS IN AN AREA ON HIS ROUTE. PRIOR TO TAKEOFF, HE WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. WHILE EN ROUTE, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS "TOTALLY OBSCURED." SHORTLY AFTER THAT, HE REPORTED HAVING DIFFICULTY IN MAINTAINING A HEADING AND THAT HIS GYRO AND MAGNETIC COMPASSES WERE SPINNING. RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WERE LOST SOON AFTER THAT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLANE CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. AN EXAMINATION OF THE VACUUM PUMP REVEALED NO PREIMPACT FAILURE. A DISASSEMBLY OF THE DIRECTIONAL GYRO REVEALED SIGNS OF WEAR IN THE UPPER AND LOWER GIMBLE RING BEARINGS WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN ERRATIC OPERATION OR EXCESSIVE PRECESSION.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.