Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
Pierre, SD
While discharging a passenger on a wet ramp with brakes set and both engines running, the pilot went aft to shut the main cabin door. As the pilot egressed the cockpit, his left foot struck the number one throttle advancing it to takeoff power which caused the airplane to impact a parked vehicle and chain link fence on the ramp.
the pilot's inadvertent activation of the number one throttle/power control. Factors were: the pilot left the cockpit unattended with the engines running and a wet ramp.
On April 21, 1997, at 1200 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 421C, N283PT, registered to Prostrollo Leasing Company, of Madison, South Dakota, received substantially damaged after impacting a chain link fence and a parked vehicle at Pierre Municipal Airport, Pierre, South Dakota. The pilot's left foot struck and advanced the number one engine throttle of the running engines, while the pilot went aft to close the cabin door after discharging a passenger. The airline transport pilot reported no injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. An IFR flight plan was on file. The flight departed Madison, South Dakota, at 1055 cdt. According to the pilot's written statement, he was discharging a passenger with the engines running on the wet ramp area at Pierre Municipal Airport. The pilot set the brakes and then needed to go aft and shut the cabin door. The pilot said "In turning to egress the cockpit, I believe my left foot hit the left throttle #1 eng [engine] went to takeoff power. I was thrown between the two forward passenger seats on my back stunned the aircraft lunged forward struck a fence turning to the right, the right eng [engine] struck a vehicle parked on the ramp side of the fence."