Cessna 172R accident near Council Bluff, Iowa, September 4, 2013
On September 4, 2013 at about 1:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N368ES, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Council Bluff, Iowa (Council Bluffs Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's loss of directional control during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2013 · about 1:10 pm local time
- Place
- Council Bluff, Iowa · Council Bluffs Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N368ES · registry record · serial 17280022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, the wind was 130 degrees at 6 knots and he planned on departing runway 14. During the takeoff roll the airplane drifted right, the pilot corrected the drift by using the rudder pedals. The airplane then lifted off from the runway, yawed left, and settled back on the ground. The airplane exited the right side of the runway and went through a grass median before coming to a stop. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage's firewall. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
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 on ground during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 22.2 hours in all; 19.2 in this make and model; 22.2 in the last 90 days; 7.9 in the last 30 days; 0.4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,745 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 30, 2013
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Advanced Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: KCBF Council Bluff IA
- Destination: KCBF Council Bluff IA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 14, 3,650 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from KCBF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N368ES the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.