Cessna 172L accident near Des Moines, Iowa, March 30, 1982
On March 30, 1982 at about 9:17 pm local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N4325Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Des Moines, Iowa (Des Moines Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1982 · about 9:17 pm local time
- Place
- Des Moines, Iowa · Des Moines Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N4325Q · registry record · serial 17260225
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LANDED ON RUNWAY 23 WITH THE WIND FROM 230 DEGREES AT 34 GUSTING 40 KNOTS. AFTER TURNING OFF TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, A GUST OF WIND TIPPED THE AIRCRAFT, TURNED IT FURTHER TO THE RIGHT, AND THEN BLEW IT OVER ON ITS BACK.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 477 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 353 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,712 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Foxtrot Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: Waterloo IA at 1:45 pm
- Destination: Des Moines IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 34 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 149°F (65°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:22 pm from DSM
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.