Cessna 150F accident near Red Oak, Iowa, November 20, 2012
On November 20, 2012 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8000S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Red Oak, Iowa (Red Oak Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of control while landing due to the solo student pilot's delay to execute a go-around and his improper control inputs during a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2012 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Red Oak, Iowa · Red Oak Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8000S · no longer on the register · serial 15061600
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was on the third leg of a VFR solo cross country flight. His intent was to do a touch-and-go landing and then return to his initial departure airport. During his first and second approaches, he executed go-around maneuvers due to what he described as turbulence when the airplane came into ground effect. During the third approach, he landed to the left of centerline and the airplane began to skid to the left. The student pilot stated that he applied the wrong rudder correction and the airplane went off the runway. He added power to try to pull up and the right wing stalled. The left wing hit the ground and the airplane came to rest nose down in a bean field adjacent to the runway. Both wings sustained substantial damage. The student pilot had a total of 25 flight hours in the airplane, with 4.2 hours as pilot-in-command (solo). The wind was calm at the time of the accident. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or abnormalities.
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 in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › (general) › (general) › Student pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 25 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,206 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 18, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor 0-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Call One INC
The flight
- Departed from: SDA Shenandoah IA at 1:10 pm
- Destination: RDK Red Oak IA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 17, 2,901 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from RDK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 19, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Student Pilot Statement to FAA Inspector | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.