Rockwell 500-S N81589

Summary

On 25 November 1985 at about 23:42 local time, a Rockwell 500-S registered N81589, operated by Iowa State University, was involved in an accident near Des Moines, Iowa, United States. 7 people were on board and 7 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

25 November 1985 at 23:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Des Moines, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Des Moines Muni (DSM)

Coordinates

41.5295, -93.6593

Aircraft

Rockwell 500-S

Registration

N81589

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Iowa State University

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Milwaukee → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

MKC86MA031

7 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

N81589 WAS FLWG A BOEING 727 ON ILS APCH IN IFR CONDS. APRX 2.5 MI FM RWY, N81589 SUDDENLY DEVIATED LEFT NRLY 90 DEG. 39 SEC LATER, PLT RPRTD HE ENCTRD SVR TURBC, THEN SAID HE WAS TRYING TO CLB. N81589 SUBSEQUENTLY FLEW THRU TREE TOPS ON RISING TRRN FOR APRX 2 CITY BLKS, THEN HIT PWR LNS & A POLE & CRASHED AGAINST A TREE. NO EVIDENCE OF TURBC DUE TO WX AT/NR APCH ALT. INV SHOWED 4.7 MI SEPN BTN ACFT WHEN THE 727 PASSED THE POINT OF DVN (POD). AT POD, THE 727 WAS ON THE ILS GLIDE SLOPE AT 850'; N81589'S ALT WAS NOT DETERMINED. WND WAS FM 120 DEG AT 3 TO 6 KTS, SHIFTING MORE SOUTHERLY WITHALT. PREVAILING VIS WAS 1/2 MI; RVR FOR RWY 12L WAS 6000'; LGT RIME ICG WAS RPRTD. WITNESSES HEARD PWR INTERUPTION OF 1 ENG AT POD; BUT THERE WAS NO INDCN OF PWR LOSS WHERE ACFT HIT TREES. RADAR DATA SHOWED ACFT SLOWED TO 80 KTS AT POD, ACCELERATED TO 100 KTS DRG DVN, SLOWED TO 70 KTS BFR IMPACT; VMCA WAS 74 KTS. SAFETY BOARD BELIEVES THE PLT MOST LIKELY LOST CONTROL DUE TO SLOW SPD & LGT AIRFRAME ICG; POSSIBLY ENCTRD WAKE TURBC. NO REASON FND FOR LOSS OF ENG PWR.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.