Varga 2150A accident near Winterset, Iowa, July 17, 2004
On July 17, 2004 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Varga 2150A, registered N8422J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winterset, Iowa (Winterset-Madison County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate supervision by the certified flight instructor, fuel starvation, visual/aural detection precluded by the certified flight instructor's seat position, and the inadequate crew coordination of both pilots during the instructional flight. A contributing factor was the low altitude at the time of engine power loss.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2004 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Winterset, Iowa · Winterset-Madison County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Varga 2150A
- Registration
- N8422J · no longer on the register · serial VAC-167-80
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructional airplane impacted terrain during a go-around from a simulated forced landing at an uncontrolled airport. The two-place airplane was configured with forward and aft pilot positions. The front position was occupied by the student pilot for the flight. The fuel selector was located in the front cockpit. The certified flight instructor (CFI) stated that he explained to the student pilot that they would just read and point out the emergency checklist items. The student pilot stated that the CFI handed him the emergency checklist to run through an "engine failure landing" during which the student pilot shut off the fuel from both tanks. The student stated that he was not looking outside the airplane while going through the checklist and was not quite through with it when they were almost over the runway. Just as they were touching down, it appeared to the student pilot that a wind gust prevented a "straight lined landing" and they drifted off the runway and over a grass area adjacent to the runway. The CFI applied full power and took back off in an attempt to avoid a bump in the grass area. The student pilot was uninjured and reported that he was using the airplane seat belt and shoulder harness at the time of the accident. The CFI received serious facial injuries after he removed his shoulder harness in flight in order to be able to look at the front cockpit controls following the loss of engine power.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,943 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 131 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 4,112 as pilot in command; 1,028 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 10, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 5 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,057.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 25, 2004; 65.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,817 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3Y3 Winterset IA at 1:30 pm
- Destination: 3Y3
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from DSM, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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 N8422J 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.