Cessna 195A accident near Pocahontas, Iowa, September 6, 2019
On September 6, 2019 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1950 Cessna 195A, registered N9895A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Pocahontas, Iowa (Pocahontas Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Overload failure of the left main landing gear during landing, which resulted in a loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2019 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pocahontas, Iowa · Pocahontas Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195A, built 1950 · all 195As on the register
- Registration
- N9895A · no longer on the register · serial 7598
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot reported that, upon landing, he immediately felt a shift to the left. The left main landing gear fractured and collapsed, and the airplane went off the runway. Postaccident metallurgical examination of the landing gear revealed that the fracture occurred from a thumbnail-shaped fatigue crack in the gear spring strut with multiple origins near the inboard attachment location at the forward edge of its upper surface. Final overstress fracture propagation direction was consistent with a downward-and-aft bending failure mode; thus, the fracture was more likely due to overload rather than the fatigue crack. This was consistent with drag loading of the left main landing gear wheel in combination with side-loading of the outboard side of the left main landing gear wheel, such as that encountered during a crosswind landing, ground loop, and/or hard left turn event. The loads experienced by the landing gear during the accident landing could not be determined, and a structural analysis was not performed to determine if the loads exceeded design load limitations.
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 landing
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 24,800 hours in all; 1,155 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 13, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,186.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,351 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755A SERIES (piston); 2,996 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIS Bismark ND at 2:00 pm
- Destination: POH Pocahontas IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 4,100 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from FOD, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 17, 2020. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | 20-024 Materials Lab Factual Report (CEN19LA322) | PDF, 5 pages | 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.