Cessna 150 accident near Larchwood, Iowa, February 7, 1997
On February 7, 1997, a Cessna 150, registered N714EE, was destroyed in an accident near Larchwood, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the noninstrument-rated pilot's takeoff into instrument meteorological conditions. The weather was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 1997
- Place
- Larchwood, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N714EE · registry record · serial 15079113
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The weather reported at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, fifteen miles from the takeoff airport was IFR with freezing fog with 1/4 mile visibility and 100 feet vertical visibility, with the temperature at -8 degrees and the dew point at -8 degrees. A witness who lived at the departure airport reported she saw the aircraft start its takeoff roll. She reported that she could not believe the airplane was actually departing because of the dense fog. The airplane impacted the ground about one half mile east from the departure end of runway 18. The flight controls and engine exhibited continuity. All cylinders had compression. The propeller exhibited rotational scoring and twisting. The pilot did not have an instrument rating.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 360 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,469 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 21, 1995; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: D19 Luverne MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: -8°F (-22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from FSD, 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.