Canadian Car & Foundry HARVARD MARK IV accident near Ida Grove, Iowa, August 11, 1991
On August 11, 1991 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Canadian Car & Foundry HARVARD MARK IV, registered N15795, was destroyed in an accident near Ida Grove, Iowa. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 AIRSPEED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 1991 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Ida Grove, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Canadian Car & Foundry HARVARD MARK IV HARVARD MA
- Registration
- N15795 · no longer on the register · serial 15795
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS PART OF A FLIGHT OF 'ZEROS' IN A LOW-ALTITUDE RACETRACK CLOSED PATTERN CONDUCTING SIMULATED STRAFING RUNS DURING A REENACTMENT OF THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO STALL DURING THE DOWNWIND-TO-BASE SEGMENT AND SPIN INTO THE GROUND.
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
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,493 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, April 6, 1991; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,916 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R1340-AN 1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SLB Storm Lake IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.