Amateur-built Rans S-10 Sakota accident near Missouri Valley, Iowa, October 18, 2002
On October 18, 2002 at about 8:40 pm local time, a amateur-built Rans S-10 Sakota, registered N228DW, was destroyed in an accident near Missouri Valley, Iowa (Missouri Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control and adequate airspeed, resulting in the inadvertent stall/spin. A factor was the low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2002 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Missouri Valley, Iowa · Missouri Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Rans S-10 Sakota
- Registration
- N228DW · registry record
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane, piloted by a student pilot, was destroyed on impact with terrain following a loss of control while attempting an aborted landing. A witness stated that he saw the airplane approaching to land but did not observe the landing. He stated that he saw the airplane climb out at a very steep angle. He said the airplane appeared to stall when it was at an altitude of about 300 feet above the ground. He said that, when the airplane stalled, the right wing dropped and the airplane entered a vertical dive. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground. Another witness said that he saw the airplane approaching the runway from the south. He said that the airplane was, "coming in fast and steep," and that the airplane hit the runway at a steep angle. The airplane had not been issued an airworthiness certificate or amateur built operating limitations by the Federal Aviation Administration. An examination of the wreckage revealed no preexisting anomalies.
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: student
- Flight time: 150 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 960 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 90IA Missouri Valley IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,400 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from OMA, 15 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.
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.