Cessna 172M accident near 5N 0Lin, Iowa, April 25, 1984
On April 25, 1984 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N5010R, was substantially damaged in an accident near 5N 0Lin, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- April 25, 1984 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- 5N 0Lin, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N5010R · registry record · serial 17263251
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CRUISING AT 3,000 FT MSL THE ENG RAN ROUGH. THE FLT NOTICED ZERO OIL PRESSURE. AS HE TURNED TOWARD A BEAN FIELD THE ENG FAILED. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A DITCH & NOSED OVER. THE ENG WAS DISASSEMBLED & AN ESTIMATED 3-4 QTS OF OIL WERE IN THE ENG CASE. THE #1 & #2 CONNECTING RODS WERE FOUND BROKEN. THE #4 PISTON EXHIBITED EVIDENCE OF BEING SUBJECTEDTO EXTREMELY HIGH TEMPERATURES.
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: 467 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 381 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,262 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 27, 1984; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIC Minneapolis MN
- Destination: DVN Davenport IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 17 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from CID, 27 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.