Cessna 172D accident near Garden Grove, Iowa, April 17, 1986
On April 17, 1986 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 172D, registered N2502Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Garden Grove, Iowa (Farm Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1986 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Garden Grove, Iowa · Farm Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172D · all 172Ds on the register
- Registration
- N2502Y · registry record · serial 17249802
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING A NO-FLAP TAKEOFF FROM HIS PVT STRIP WHEN THE WHEELS HIT A WET SPOT. HE SAID THAT THE ACFT SLOWED DOWN BUT HE EXTENDED FLAPS AND CONTINUED THE TAKEOFF. WHEN HE SAW THAT HE WAS RUNNING OUT OF RWY, HE ABORTED THE TAKEOFF BUT THE ACFT CONTINUED OFF THE RWY INTO A POND.
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
What happened, in order
- OVERRUN during takeoff - roll/run
- ON GROUND/WATER ENCOUNTER WITH TERRAIN/WATER during takeoff - roll/run
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 350 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 180 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 3
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,365 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, April 8, 1986; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: Garden Grove IA at 2:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°C, dew point 0°C
- Altimeter: 30 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N2502Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MKC86LA090.