Cessna 172 accident near Pella, Iowa, March 26, 2019
On March 26, 2019 at about 7:50 pm local time, a 1969 Cessna 172, registered N7127G, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Pella, Iowa (Pella Muni airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to maintain the runway heading and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action during landing, which resulted in the instructor landing the airplane in grass left of the runway and a subsequent nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2019 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Pella, Iowa · Pella Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 K, built 1969 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7127G · no longer on the register · serial 17258827
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during the landing with the student pilot on the flight controls, about 5 to 10 ft above the ground, a wind gust caused the airplane to drift right. The instructor assumed control of the airplane, attempted to correct, applied full power, and initiated a go-around. The instructor stated that the airplane was "low and slow," and the left main landing gear contacted the runway, and the airplane drifted left. Concerned the airplane would not gain significant altitude to clear the buildings in the flightpath, the instructor chose to land in the grass left of the runway. Subsequently, the airplane encountered soft terrain and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft fuselage and rudder. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. About the time of the accident, the airport's automated weather observation station reported that the wind was from 170° at 5 knots. The student was landing the airplane on runway 16.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during landing
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Heading/course › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Effect on operation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 562.2 hours in all; 314.5 in this make and model; 61.5 in the last 90 days; 14.8 in the last 30 days; 494.8 as pilot in command; 206.3 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 16, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 51 hours in all; 42.4 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3.9 in the last 30 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 17, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 6,170 hours total
- Operator: Classic Aviation Inc
The flight
- Departed from: PEA Pella IA
- Destination: PEA Pella IA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 16, 5,403 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from KPEA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 30, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.