- Date
- May 4, 2025, 19:15 local (May 5, 2025, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Dallas Center, IA · Recently planted cornfield
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7192MGolden Circle Air T-Bird
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 9, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Des Moines FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250504004759A
- Case key
- 200121
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate roll control of the light sport airplane while on final approach to the airstrip with a crosswind.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was conducting his first flight after he purchased and reassembled the light sport airplane. He intended to fly to a nearby grass airstrip to practice touch-and-go landings. He reported that the wind was calm during the takeoff and cruise portions of the flight. During final approach to the intended airstrip, about 30 ft above the ground and 200 ft short of the airstrip, a wind gust from the right caused the airplane to roll left. The pilot increased engine power and attempted to level the airplane’s wings, but the left wing impacted the ground and the airplane spun to stop short of the runway. The airplane’s aluminum tube fuselage structure and left wing sustained substantial damage during the ground impact. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the light sport airplane. Based on the reported wind direction and speed at an airport located about 11 nautical miles from the accident site, there was likely a direct right crosswind of about 8 knots while the airplane was on final approach to the airstrip.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7192M
- Reported as
- Golden Circle Air T-Bird (I)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1107541
- Built
- 1994
- Airframe hours
- 320
- Engine
- Rotax 503, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · February 6, 2025 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- 39IA · Dallas Center, IA
- Destination
- 39IA · Dallas Center, IA
- Airport
- 39IA · Husband Field Airport, runway 35, 2,400 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Airframe parachute
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 81
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- November 6, 2024
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 1 in this make and model · 500 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KPRO, 11 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KPRO 050015Z AUTO 07008KT 10SM CLR 22/05 A2995 RMK AO2 T02170048=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.