Cessna 172 accident near S. Sioux City, Nebraska, May 17, 1998
On May 17, 1998 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N8919B, was destroyed in an accident near S. Sioux City, Nebraska (Martin Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate flying airspeed during the climbing left turn resulting in a stall condition. Contributing factors were the gusty, crosswind conditions, and the pilot's excessively tight turn maneuver during the initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 1998 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- S. Sioux City, Nebraska · Martin Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N8919B · no longer on the register · serial 36619
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was returning from a breakfast fly-in when the accident occurred. A witnesses reported he alerted the pilot of the wind conditions, which were strong and gusting from the south. The witness reported the airplane touched down on Runway 14, then the pilot announced he was going to takeoff to do the landing over again. The airplane was last seen in a 'tight power turn' to the left at a point near the end of the runway. The airplane then stalled and impacted the terrain. A right traffic pattern was used at this airport for runway 14.
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: 239 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 194 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,709 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1998; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKP Cherokee IA at 2:50 pm
- Destination: 7K8
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,277 ft by 22 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 23 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from SUX, 3 miles away
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.