Cessna 172M accident near Elkader, Iowa, January 8, 1984
On January 8, 1984 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N73043, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elkader, Iowa (Elkader Muni airport). It was a business 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 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
- January 8, 1984 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 1984
- Place
- Elkader, Iowa · Elkader Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N73043 · registry record · serial 1626250
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT NOSED OVER DURING LANDING ON A SNOW-COVERED RWY AFTER STRIKING A SNOW DRIFT. THE PLT SAID HE DID NOT SEE ANY TRACKS IN THE SNOW COVERED RWY BUT SINCE THERE WAS NO NOTAM CLOSING THE ARPT HE WENT AHEAD WITH A SOFT FIELD LANDING. HE SAID THE SNOW GRABBED THE LANDING GEAR AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER WHEN IT STRUCK A DRIFT.
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: 144 hours in all; 139 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 84 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,220 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E20 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C25 Waverly IA at 8:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 1,860 ft by 170 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from CID, 58 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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
- N73043 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,687 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E20 27,303 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Waverly Municipal · departed from
- 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/MKC84LA059.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.