Arrow Aircraft Co. ARROW SPORT accident near Red Oak, Iowa, August 20, 1983
On August 20, 1983 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Arrow Aircraft Co. ARROW SPORT, registered N853H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Red Oak, Iowa. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1983 · about 4:00 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Red Oak, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Arrow Aircraft Co. ARROW SPORT ARROW SPOR
- Registration
- N853H · registry record · serial 412
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT, THERE WAS A PROGRESSIVE LOSS OF ENG POWER. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE ARPT & MADE A CRASH LANDING IN A SOYBEAN FLD. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE #4 CYLINDER FAILED IN THE AREA OF THE EXHAUST VALVE ROCKER BOX.
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: 583 hours in all; 87 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 8, 1983; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,270 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kinner K-5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CSQ Creston IA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: CZD Cozad NE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N853H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Kinner K-5 52 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Creston Municipal · departed from
- Cozad Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Iowa 871 since 1982 · 131 in the last ten years
- Iowa 4,514 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MKC83LA197.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.