Cessna 177 accident near Fort Dodge, Iowa, March 24, 1989
On March 24, 1989 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N35053, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Dodge, Iowa (Fort Dodge airport). It was a personal 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 FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ADEQUATELY COMPENSATE FOR EXISTING WIND CONDITIONS, TO FLARE PROPERLY, AND TO RECOVER PROPERLY FROM A BOUNCED LANDING. THE GUSTY X-WIND CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 1989 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Dodge, Iowa · Fort Dodge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N35053 · registry record · serial 2178
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT WHILE LANDING IN A GUSTY X-WIND CONDITION, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TURBULENCE DURING THE LANDING FLARE. HE SAID THE ACFT PORPOISED TWO OR THREE TIMES, THEN IT DROPPED ON THE NOSE WHEEL & WAS DAMAGED. THE X-WIND WAS 60 DEGREES FROM THE RIGHT AT 16 GUSTING 20 KTS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,462 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 2,462 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,903 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 25, 1988; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: S And S Flyers, LTD
The flight
- Departed from: DSM Des Moines IA at 7:15 pm
- Destination: FOD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 4,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:49 pm from FOD, 1 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.