Cessna 152 accident near Sherrill, Iowa, December 17, 1998
On December 17, 1998 at about 4:42 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5314B, was destroyed in an accident near Sherrill, Iowa. It was a personal flight 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 continued flying with a known discrepancy and he failed to maintain airspeed and lost control of the airplane while attempting a forced landing. Factors included the tailwind and the undetermined loss of power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 1998 · about 4:42 pm local time
- Place
- Sherrill, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N5314B · no longer on the register · serial 15283834
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported the airplane was experiencing a degradation of power while practicing touch and go landings at an outlying field. He decided to fly back to the original departure airport, 21 miles away. He did not indicate over the radio what kind of problem the airplane was experiencing. He attempted to execute a forced landing. A ground witness reported the airplane barely cleared powerlines as it followed the contours of a field. He reported the airplane was flying low and slow at about 50 feet when it nosedived and flipped over and started burning. The main wreckage was located 80 feet from the initial ground scar on a heading of 080 degrees. The wind was from 250 degrees at 8 knots. The right wingtip had leading edge crush marks. The left wing's leading edge was crushed from the strut attach point to the wingtip. The cabin was destroyed by fire. The propeller blades were undamaged except for forward bending at the blade tips. The right and left magnetos received fire damage. The engine teardown and airframe inspection revealed no pre-impact anomalies.
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 single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 515 hours in all; 304 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 444 as pilot in command; 148 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,927 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 27, 1998; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: University Of Dubuque
The flight
- Departed from: DBQ Dubuque IA at 1:50 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from DBQ, 11 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.