Cessna 152 accident near Marion, Iowa, April 20, 1987
On April 20, 1987 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N67751, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marion, Iowa (Marion airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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 20, 1987 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marion, Iowa · Marion · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N67751 · no longer on the register · serial 15281996
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI AND STU WERE PRACTICING APPROACHES TO THE MARION, IOWA ARPT. SEVERAL WITNESSES STATED THAT THE T & G LNDGS WERE UNUSUAL WHICH GAINED THEIR ATTN. ON THE LAST APPCH THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO BE SLOW DURING THE UNUSUALLY STEEP APPCH. ABT 15 TO 20 FT AGL THE ACFT PITCHED NOSE DOWN UNTIL STRIKING THE RWY. THE ACFT BROKE IN HALF WITH THE NOSE AND WINGS FLIPPING INVERTED. THE WITNESSES THOUGHT THAT THE ACFT HAD STALLED ABV THE RWY CRASHING IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WAS NOTED DURING THE ON SCENE INSPECTION OF THE ACFT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,209 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 2, 1987; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,800 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.