Skip to content

KDSM · Des Moines International Airport

ICAO · US · 28 NTSB events

ID KDSM FAA DSM Elev 958 ft Lat 41° 32.04' N Lon 93° 39.40' W Zulu …

Live conditions

METAR

fetching…

Wind / Visibility

—

Density altitude (now)

—

Decode in METAR tool TAF on AWC ↗ NOTAMs ↗

Aerial view

No FAA diagram published

Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics, USDA FSA

Runways

4 runway ends on file. Longest: 9,004 ft. Max gradient: 0.50%

Designator Heading Length Width Surface Lighting Gradient
05 054° 9,004 ft 150 ft ASP Yes 0.24%
23 234° 9,004 ft 150 ft ASP Yes 0.24%
13 132° 9,001 ft 150 ft ASP Yes 0.50%
31 312° 9,001 ft 150 ft ASP Yes 0.50%

Lengths + headings: in-app airport database. Surface, width, lighting: OurAirports. Gradient: derived from FAA NASR runway-end elevations (NASR's RWY_GRAD field is empty in 99.99% of rows).

Communications · 8 frequencies

  • ATIS ATIS 119.550
  • CLD CLNC DEL 134.150
  • GND GND 121.900
  • TWR TWR 118.300
  • A/D APP/DEP 118.600
  • OPS ANG OPS MAINT 138.150
  • RDO FORT DODGE RDO 122.650
  • UNIC UNICOM 122.950

Live ATC audio (streaming + archived): Open KDSM on LiveATC ↗

  • NDB DS

    Forem

    0.34 MHz · TERMINAL · LOW

  • VORTAC DSM

    Des Moines

    117.50 MHz · DME 117.50 · BOTH · HIGH

Chart Supplement remarks, plain English · 1 matched · 28 not yet translated

Translations anchored to the FAA text; the raw FAA text is authoritative.

TL;DR

  • ·Wildlife on or near runways. Vigilant scan during taxi, takeoff, and landing roll. Birds also reported in the area.

Watch for

  • Wildlife on or near runways. Vigilant scan during taxi, takeoff, and landing roll. Birds also reported in the area.

    wildlife hazard

All translated remarks (1)

  • Wildlife on or near runways. Vigilant scan during taxi, takeoff, and landing roll. Birds also reported in the area.

    Raw FAA text · airport remarks · operational

    BIRDS ON & INVOF ARPT.

Not yet translated · raw FAA text (28 sentences)
  • ·CONTR FUEL - 515-256-5330.
  • ·INFORMAL NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES IN EFFECT.
  • ·EXPECT ATC TO ASSIGN PREFERRED RY.
  • ·IANG SOUTH RAMP PCN 78 R/B/W/T.
  • ·IANG WEST RAMP PCN 87 R/B/W/T.
  • ·MAX ACFT WT SOUTH GA APRN 170,000 LBS ALL OTHER FBO APRN 80,000 LBS.
  • ·RWY 05 APCH END HAS LTD VIS FROM THE TWR.
  • ·TWR CANNOT EASILY ID IF AN ACFT IS OVER THE HOLD SHORT LINE AT TWY P7.
  • ·RWY 05 ARRIVALS - USE CTN AND ENSURE YOU ARE CORRECTLY LINED UP WITH RWY 05 AND NOT TWY P.
  • ·CROSS BLEED ENGINE STARTS ON AIR CARRIER RAMP PROHIBITED.
  • ·USE CAUTION WHEN LNDG OVER RAISED LIGHTS IN THE OVERRUNS AND RWY THLDS AT DSM.
  • ·ARNG RAMP AVBL FOR MIL AND MIL-CONTRACTED ACFT FOR OFFL BUS ONLY WITH LTD SUPPORT.
  • ·PPR; CTC DSN 261-8360/8361, C515-261-8360/8361.
  • ·FBO WILL PROVIDE CONTRACT FUEL.
  • ·MIL CREWS CAN CTC HAWKI ON 252.9 A321 AIRCRAFT LTD TO 190,000 LBS ON RWY 5-23 AND TWY P.
  • ·A321 EXCEEDING 190,000 LBS WO ARPT AUTH WAIVER REQ ATCT PRVD 13-31.
  • ·UPDTD: SKED A321 ACFT OVER 200,000 LBS RQR AN OVERWEIGHT ACFT PMT; CTC ARPT AUTH 515-256-5000 MODERN AVIATION FBO LCTD AT NORTH GA APRON.
  • ·TERMINAL APRON TAXILANE ADG III AC ONLY, ADG IV AC AT GATE A4 ONLY.
  • ·TRML APRON TAXILANE ADG III (ACFT WINGSPAN LESS THAN 118 FT) ONLY, ADG IV (ACFT WINGSPAN LESS THAN 172 FT) ACFT AT GATE A4 ONLY.
  • ·TERMINAL APRON DE-ICE SPOT N2 AND ASSOCIATED TAXILANE LIMITED TO ADGII UNLESS COORDINATED WITH IDS 129.875.
  • ·NO TAXI BETWEEN GATES A5A AND A5B.
  • ·NO TAXI TO TRML GATES A2/A4 FROM TXY D1 WHEN AN AIRCRAFT IS PARKED AT REMOTE SPOT R6 - REQUEST TXY E.
  • ·ENTER TERMINAL DE-ICE PAD QUEUE FROM TAXILANE N, DO NOT ENTER PAD FROM TAXILANE N4.
  • ·TWY P E OF TWY D WINGTIP CLEARANCE LIMITED TO 121.5 FT, CAUTION ADVISED FOR ADG V AND LARGER AIRCRAFT.
  • ·EXEC DIR PCR VALUE: 696/R/D/W/T PCR VALUE: 696/R/D/W/T PAPI UNUSBL BYD 9 DEGS RIGHT OF CNTRLN.
  • ·FLIGHT NOTIFICATION SERVICE (ADCUS) AVBL MON-FRI 0830-1700.
  • ·FOR SAT; SUN; HOLS & NIGHT CUSTOMS SVC MAKE APPOINTMENTS MON-FRI 0830-1700.
  • ·AT LEAST 3 HR ADVANCE NOTICE RQRD.

Field profile

Use

Public-use

Ownership

Public

Scheduled service

Yes

IATA · DSM

FAA Chart Supplement

NTSB events

28 NTSB-recorded events on file at this airport .

Total events

29

since 1982

Fatal

4

13.8% of total

Last 5 years

0

no recent events

Last 10 years

2

≈ 0.2/yr

Ranking across all airports · Open in accident map ↗

Operations volume

FAA TAF · history through 2024

2005 2024

Peak: 144,952 ops in 1991

2024 total

90,798

10-yr total

732,039

2024 mix

AC/AT 43% · GA 48% · Mil 9%

Events / million ops

2.7

last 10 years

Fatal / million ops

0.38

approximate · 10-yr scaled

Last 10 years · n=2

  • Controlled flight into terrain 1
  • Runway excursion 1

All time · n=28

  • Other 10
  • Engine failure / power loss 4
  • Stall / spin 3
  • Loss of control 3
  • Weather · wind / icing / convective 3
  • Fuel exhaustion / starvation 3
  • Controlled flight into terrain 1
  • Runway excursion 1

Categories rule-matched from NTSB findings and probable-cause text. "Other" = not enough agency text to classify.

Date Aircraft · Classification · Wx Sev
2026-02-11 COSTRUZIONI AERONAUTICHE TECNA P-MENTOR · Runway excursion · day →
2020-07-03 Enstrom 280 · CFIT · day →
2016-08-13 CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR20 · Engine failure · VMC · day →
2012-08-15 Cessna 560XL · Loss of control · VMC · day →
2010-12-18 Beech H35 · Fuel exhaustion · VMC · day →
2000-11-03 Luscombe 8A · Stall / spin · day →
2000-08-31 Piper PA-28-236 · Other · day →
1999-09-26 Cessna 172N · Fuel exhaustion · night →
1997-08-19 Swearingen SA226TC · Loss of control · IMC · night →
1996-05-29 Champion 7GCBC · Other · VMC · day →
1996-05-26 British Aerospace BAE 146 · Engine failure · night →
1996-01-10 Piper PA-34-200T · Stall / spin · night →
1995-01-21 BACON QUESTAIR-VENTURE · Stall / spin · VMC · day →
1991-01-03 Boeing B727-223 · Other · VMC · night →
1990-11-29 Piper PA-31T2 · Loss of control · VMC · day →
1989-07-18 Gates Learjet LEARJET 35 · Weather · IMC · night →
1989-03-03 Cessna 310 · Weather · IMC · night →
1988-05-29 Cessna 152 · Fuel exhaustion · VMC · day →
1986-01-31 Piper PA-38-112 · Other · VMC · day →
1986-01-12 Cessna 172 · Weather · day →
1985-11-25 Rockwell 500-S · Other · IMC · night →
1985-06-07 Piper PA-28-181 · Other · VMC · day →
1983-12-31 Cessna 210L · Other · night →
1983-11-17 Beech BE77 · Other · VMC · day →
1983-03-30 Boeing 727-222 · Other · day →
1982-11-06 Beech C23 · Engine failure · night-moonlit →
1982-03-30 Cessna 172L · Other · day →
1982-02-15 Piper PA-28-151 · Engine failure · IMC · night →

Designees in IA

CFI Flight Instructors 595 A&P Mechanics 1,208 AME Medical Examiners (AME) 38 DME Mechanic Examiners (DME) 4 DAR-F Manufacturing Airworthiness (DAR-F) 5 DAR-T Maintenance Airworthiness (DAR-T) 2 DER-Y Engineering — Company (DER-Y) 2 DER-T Engineering — Consultant (DER-T) 1 SAE Specialty Aircraft Examiners (SAE) 29 ODA Organizational Designations 1 Schools Flight Schools 41 FBO Fixed Base Operators 46 Clubs Flying Clubs 13 Repair Repair / Maintenance Shops 3 EAA EAA Chapters 14

DPEs nearby

Distance is city-centroid to airport, a first cut, not the exam location.

Designee City ST Distance
Bill Joseph Clemons Truro IA 21 nm
Harrison Mcnaughton Ames IA 30 nm
Shane Vande Voort Pella IA 34 nm
Timothy Newton Waterloo IA 82 nm
Adam Timothy Magee Swisher IA 90 nm
Cole Robert Norton Marion IA 98 nm
Janice Wray Walton Marion IA 98 nm
Daniel Lee Kelley Council Bluffs IA 101 nm
Timothy John Saddler Council Bluffs IA 101 nm
Christopher David Schrodt Charles City IA 102 nm

Showing 10 closest of ~1,400 DPEs nationwide. Source: FAA Designee Locator.

CFIs nearby

City-centroid distance; ratings as on the FAA certificate.

Instructor City ST Distance
James Albert Kaldenberg Des Moines IA 3 nm
Thomas Jeffrey Lauda Des Moines IA 3 nm
Patrick Joseph Mcdonald Des Moines IA 3 nm
David Lee Kalwishky Des Moines IA 3 nm
Thomas Leo Drew Des Moines IA 3 nm
Jim Jay Epp Des Moines IA 3 nm
Steven Paul Prough Des Moines IA 3 nm
Kevin James Foley Des Moines IA 3 nm
David Patrick Lydon Des Moines IA 3 nm
Jon-Martin Harbart Des Moines IA 3 nm

Showing 10 closest of ~70,900 active CFIs nationwide. Source: FAA Airmen Certification Database.

A&P mechanics nearby

City-centroid distance. A = airframe, P = powerplant, IA = inspection authorization.

Mechanic City ST Distance
Thomas Jeffrey Lauda Des Moines IA 3 nm
Paul James Mcilrath Des Moines IA 3 nm
Harold James Petro Des Moines IA 3 nm
Gary Eugene Smith Des Moines IA 3 nm
Keith Jason Boot Des Moines IA 3 nm
Jonathan Henry Thompson Des Moines IA 3 nm
Ryan Robert Stotts Des Moines IA 3 nm
Lucas Scott Signor Des Moines IA 3 nm
Wesley Allen Kirscher Des Moines IA 3 nm
Boston Matthew Gordon Des Moines IA 3 nm

Showing 10 closest of ~248,300 certificated mechanics nationwide. Source: FAA Airmen Certification Database.

Repair stations nearby

By airport location.

Shop Distance
McCandless Avionics, LC
Waverly, IA
 89 nm
Spencer Avionics, Inc.
Spencer, IA
 120 nm
Higginsville Avionics, LLC.
Higginsville, MO
 148 nm
Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
 154 nm
Chapin Aircraft Repair
Rock Rapids, IA
 160 nm
Butler Avionics, Inc
New Century, KS
 172 nm
West Maintenance
New Century, KS
 172 nm
RealClean Aicraft Detailing
Sioux Falls, SD
 181 nm
RealClean Aircraft Detailing
Sioux Falls, SD
 184 nm
Satnan Avionics
Sioux Falls, SD
 184 nm

Showing 10 closest of ~400 geocoded shops in the repair-station directory. Source: AOPA business listings.