NTSB Report Details Small Plane Crash in Iowa

The National Transportation Safety Board has released new details of a September plane crash near the Le Mars Municipal Airport.

A report from the board, cited by the Daily Sentinel, says pilot Robert Tompkins had just taken off from the airport when a gust of wind lowered the left wing of the single-engine plane and the aircraft’s ailerons, which control some movements, were unresponsive. Tompkins tried to level the plane but it stalled and crashed into a corn field west of the runway.

The 42-year-old Tompkins, of Le Mars, suffered minor injuries in the Sept. 24 crash.

The plane was destroyed. Damage was estimated at $30,000.