(Ames)– There were 16 aviation accidents in the state with one fatality during 2023. That’s according to statistics from the Iowa Department of Transportation. Officials say that was a 33 percent increase from 2022. D.O.T officials say the state has averaged 13 accidents over the last five years.
Some of the incidents this past year occurred in northwest Iowa. The report says it includes one at the Sibley Airport in which a plane made a hard landing after failing to maintain adequate airspeed on final approach. No injuries were reported. Another occurred at the Larchwood Airport where a plane impacted the ground and cartwheeled during takeoff. No injuries were reported in that incident. A non-injury crash was also reported near Maurice. Another near Alta involved a crop dusting plane that encountered a dust devil, causing the plane to come into contact with powerlines. The D.O.T report says the pilot made an emergency landing in the field he was spraying and that there were no injuries.
The report says the fatal crash involved a crop dusting plane that flew into some wires near Dennison. The pilot was hospitalized and eventually died of injuries sustained in the crash.
