- Date
- July 29, 2026, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Algona, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N731CQCessna A188B
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- Case key
- 203490
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 control during a turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Findings · 3
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 reported that while performing agricultural spray applications, a vehicle parked on the road in the vicinity of the field he was spraying. He made a 360° turn waiting for the vehicle to move. During the turn, the airplane lost airspeed and entered an aerodynamic stall. The pilot attempted to recover the airplane from the stall by pitching the nose of the airplane down and applying full power. However, during the recovery, the airplane entered a secondary aerodynamic stall. The airplane impacted power lines and trees and then impacted a residential yard. The fuselage, wings, and horizontal stabilizer were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N731CQ
- Reported as
- Cessna A188B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18802794T
- Built
- 1977
- Airframe hours
- 6,005
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D6, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Meyer Brothers Ag LLC
- Registered owner
- D & K Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 10, 2026
- Departed
- Priv · Whittemore, IA
- Equipment
- None
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
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 9, 2025
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 422 total · 172 in this make and model · 356 as pilot in command · 152 in the last 90 days · 137 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- KAXA, 2 nm away
- METAR
- KAXA 292135Z AUTO 12008KT 10SM CLR 31/22 A2997
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 11, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 MB in all.