Cessna 175 accident near Dexter, Iowa, August 24, 1996
On August 24, 1996 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 175, registered N8217T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dexter, Iowa (Private Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate short field landing procedure/technique. The tailwind and grass runway were related factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 1996 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dexter, Iowa · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N8217T · no longer on the register · serial 17556917
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was south of the private airstrip, and had lined up the airplane for a straight in landing to the north on the 1800 foot grass runway. Also, he reported that the there was a tailwind of approximately 5 knots during landing. When he applied the brakes on the grass runway, the tires began to skid. The airplane went off the end of the runway, through a fence, and impacted a ditch. The aircraft operating handbook data indicated that the airplane's landing performance was adequate for the landing runway, and the local conditions.
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: 1,460 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.