Cessna 152 accident near Toledo, Iowa, November 7, 1989
On November 7, 1989, a Cessna 152, registered N6449M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Toledo, Iowa (Toledo airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT BECAME LOST/DISORIENTATED AND ATTEMPTED A LANDING AT THE WRONG AIRPORT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITION, AND THE STUDENT PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THE TYPE OF OPERATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 1989
- Place
- Toledo, Iowa · Toledo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6449M · no longer on the register · serial 15284733
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A SOLO, NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE STUDENT PILOT ENCOUNTERED UNFAVORABLE WINDS AND MISTAKENLY ARRIVED AT THE WRONG AIRPORT. SHE TRIED TO ACTIVATE THE RUNWAY LIGHTS WITHOUT SUCCESS, THEN ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON WHAT SHE THOUGHT WAS THE RWY. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT STRUCK POWER LINES ABOUT ONE QUARTER MILE TO THE EAST OF THE APPROACH END OF RWY 35, THEN COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. THE PILOT HAD LOGGED 1.3 HOURS OF NIGHT DUAL INSTRUCTION AND THIS WAS HER FIRST SOLO NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 33 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 13 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AMW Ames IA
- Destination: MIW Marshaltown IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 1,873 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:51 pm from DSM, 60 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.
Other NTSB records under N6449M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.