Cessna 402B accident near Mason City, Iowa, February 27, 1998
On February 27, 1998 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N108RS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mason City, Iowa (Mason City Municipal airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the accumulation of airframe ice during flight, and failure of the pilot to attain a proper flare for landing. Factors relating to the accident were: the adverse weather (icing) condition; and the pilot's limited forward visibility, due to ice on the windshield and the light condition at dusk.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 27, 1998 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Mason City, Iowa · Mason City Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N108RS · no longer on the register · serial 0440
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said the airplane encountered freezing rain that was changing to snow as the airplane broke out of the clouds at 600-feet above ground level during an ILS approach. He said the airplane had about 3/8 to 1/2-inch of ice on its airframe. According to the pilot, the airplane touched down on its left main landing gear, as he landed at dusk with a 10-knot left quartering tailwind. He said the left main gear tire rolled off its wheel as the nose gear and right main landing gear contacted the runway. Both the right main and nose landing gear collapsed. The pilot said he landed in a slight crab at touchdown on the ice-covered runway. The pilot said the windshield was ice covered with a clear area of about 8-inches by 11-inches through which he could see.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,744 hours in all; 218 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,433 as pilot in command; 302 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,984 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 26, 1997; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DNS Denison IA at 11:00 pm
- Destination: MCW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 6,501 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 230° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from MCW, 1 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.