Beech D35 accident near Ankeny, Iowa, March 4, 2002
On March 4, 2002 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Beech D35, registered N5985C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ankeny, Iowa (Ankeny Regional 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 excessive flare by the pilot. The icing conditions were a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 2002 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ankeny, Iowa · Ankeny Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech D35 · all D35s on the register
- Registration
- N5985C · no longer on the register · serial D3410
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged during a hard landing. The pilot returned to the departure airport after encountering icing conditions along his intended route of flight. He also stated that there was ice accumulation on the airplane and that the airplane stalled early during the landing flare.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 5, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,342 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 18, 2002; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,725 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IKV Ankeny IA at 6:40 pm
- Destination: SPW Spencer IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,700 ft; clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from DSM, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 N5985C 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.