Cessna 195 accident near Shenandoah, Iowa, August 30, 2002
On August 30, 2002 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N4331N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shenandoah, Iowa (Shenandoah 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 pilot's inadequate compensation for wind, and the locked brake. A factor associated with the accident was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2002 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Shenandoah, Iowa · Shenandoah Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N4331N · registry record · serial 7078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane nosed over during a landing roll. The pilot reported that he obtained the local Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) prior to landing. He stated the AWOS reported the winds as being from 150 degrees at 9 knots, and then later as being from 140 degrees at 8 knots. The AWOS was also reporting that runway 12/30 was closed for maintenance so the pilot made his landing approach to runway 22. The pilot reported that after touchdown the airplane weathervaned into the wind and traveled off the left side of the runway. He reported he used right rudder and the brakes to get the airplane back on the runway heading while in the grass. The airplane then ground looped to the right and nosed over. The right brake was found locked up after the accident. The 1305 weather observation taken at SDA showed the winds were from 110 degrees at 8 knots. Skid marks from the right main landing gear were visible on the runway.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 996 hours in all; 486 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 883 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,876 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 2002; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2V2 Longmont CO at 2:24 pm
- Destination: SDA Shenandoah IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 6:05 pm from SDA
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 N4331N 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.