Socata TB21 N789TB
12 March 2023 · Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 12 March 2023 at about 03:33 local time, a Socata TB21 registered N789TB was involved in an accident near Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 03:33
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States
- Nearest airport
- Flying Cloud (FCM)
- Coordinates
- 44.8291, -93.4731
- Aircraft
- Socata TB21
- Registration
- N789TB
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1999
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fairmont → Eden Prairie
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night
- NTSB number
- CEN23LA138
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s continued flight into icing conditions in an airplane that was not equipped for icing, which led to structural icing, subsequent loss of airplane control and impact with terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that, during a night cross country flight, the airplane encountered icing conditions while on an instrument approach. The pilot observed about 4 inches of ice had formed on the wing, running about one foot aft. The pilot reported he put the landing gear down about 5 miles from the runway. The pilot continued the approach and stated he broke out of the clouds about 300-400 ft agl and had “minimal control.” The airplane impacted snow-covered ground and came to rest about a half mile from the runway. The airplane was destroyed by a post-impact fire. In an email, the pilot stated the “airplane was in good shape.” At the time of the accident there was an icing AIRMET that covered the location of the accident. The Socata TB21 Pilot Information Manual states “Flight into known icing conditions is prohibited.”
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Socata TB21 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Dec 2022 | Socata TB21 | Saint-Pons, France | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Jul 2022 | Socata TB21 | San Marcos, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 2026 | Socata TB21 | Prescott, Arizona, United States | Cameron English | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Jun 2012 | Socata TB21 | Gold Hill, North Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Dec 2011 | Socata TB21 | Silverton, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 27 Dec 2003 | Socata TB21 | Spruce Pine, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Feb 2023 | Cessna 172S | Princeton, Minnesota, United States | Twin Cities Flight Training, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 2023 | Schweizer G-164B | Beltrami, Minnesota, United States | Gasper Air Spray, Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 May 2023 | Loehle Acft 5151 MUSTANG | Hector, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 2023 | Cessna 150K | South Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2023 | Icon A5 | Onamia, Minnesota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Nov 2023 | Piper PA-28-181 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | Thunderbird Aircraft Co | Minor injuries | - |