Beech B23 accident near Creston, Iowa, August 21, 1987
On August 21, 1987 at about 4:00 am local time, a Beech B23, registered N6078N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Creston, Iowa (Creston Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 1987 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Creston, Iowa · Creston Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B23 · all B23s on the register
- Registration
- N6078N · no longer on the register · serial M1171
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIC HAD PLANNED HIS FLT WITH DEPARTURE ORIGINATING IN IOWA CITY, IOWA. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE FCST AND THE PIC DELAYED HIS DEPARTURE FOR ABT 3 HRS. AFT ASSESSING WX FM SEVERAL SOURCES THE PIC DPTD FOR CRESTON, IOWA AROUND 9 PM LCL TIME. THE FLT PROGRESSED WITHOUT DIFFICULTY TILL REACHING CRESTON. THE PIC RPTD DIFFICULTY MAINTIANING REFERENCE WITH RWY DURING THE APPROACH, COMPLAINING OF INOP VASI LIGHTING. ACCORDING TO THE ARPT MNGR THE VASI WAS INOPERATIVE AND HE HAD NOT NOTIFIED THE FAA OF THE PBLM. THE PIC ALSO INDICATED THAT A FOG OR HAZE WAS PRESENT NEAR THE GROUND AND REFERENCES USED FOR LNDG WERE NOT ADEQUATE. THE PIC ALSO COMPLAINED OF CHGNG WINDS DURING THE APPROACH COMPOUNDING THE DIFFICULTY. THE PIC MADE NO ATTEMPT TO GO-AROUND FOR ANOTHER TRY AT LNDG. INSTEAD THE APPROACH WAS CONTINUED. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GND SHORT OF THE RWY AFT THE PIC RPTD HEARING THE STALL WARNING HORN SOUND BEFORE & AFTER HE APPLIED FULL PWR.
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: 135 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 103 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,428 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 7, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IOW Iowa City IA at 2:00 am
- Destination: CSQ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,000 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 18 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.