Cessna 150 accident near Bancroft, Iowa, January 24, 1986
On January 24, 1986 at about 4:30 am local time, a Cessna 150, registered N7595U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bancroft, Iowa. It was a business 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
- January 24, 1986 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Bancroft, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N7595U · registry record · serial 15077761
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT BECAME DISORIENTED ON A NIGHT, VFR FLT AND LANDED AT AN ARPT TO DETERMINE HIS LOCATION. THE UNATTENDED ARPT DID NOT HAVE A PHONE SO THE PLT TOOKOFF AGAIN ENROUTE TO HIS ORIGINAL DEST. HE BECAME DISORIENTED A SECOND TIME AND, BECAUSE THE ACFT WAS RUNNING LOW ON FUEL, HE DECIDED TO LAND IN A SNOW COVERED FIELD NEAR A SMALL TOWN. THE SNOW WAS DEEP AND CRUSTED AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER DURING THE LANDING ROLL.
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: 77 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 42 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,054 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 18, 1985; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Great Lakes Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: D40 St. James MN at 3:30 am
- Destination: SPW Spencer IA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 am from MCW, 405 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.