Cessna 182Q accident near Mapleton, Iowa, October 29, 2025
On October 29, 2025 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna 182Q, registered N735ZD, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Mapleton, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 2025 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mapleton, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q, built 1977 · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N735ZD · registry record · serial 18265807
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On October 29, 2025, at about 1200 Central daylight time, a Cessna 182Q, N735ZD, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Mapleton, Iowa. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91personal flight. The pilot reported that during takeoff, just after liftoff, one propeller blade lost pitch control, and the airplane was unable to climb. He said that the stall warning horn continued to sound after liftoff, and a passenger described a loud buzzing sound starting before liftoff. The airplane subsequently impacted an area of rising terrain in a harvested bean field, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage. After the accident, the pilot told his passengers that he needed to get the airplane back to the airport, and the passengers demanded to get out, exited the airplane and called 911. Without shutting down the engine, the pilot taxied the airplane down the hill and made an unsuccessful takeoff attempt on the flat open field. A post examination of the wreckage is pending.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: MEY Mapleton IA at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.