In January and February of 2017, former Iowa State University president Steven Leath went under investigation for alleged personal use of a university owned plane after it was found that he had damaged the plane during a hard landing in Illinois. After the damage occurred, Leath donated $17,500 to the Iowa State University foundation to cover cost of repair, storage, and transportation home. Later, Leath wrote a second check for $19,113.
After the incident, Leath vowed he would not only cease his usage of the plane, but that he would also sell it and review the university Flight Services, which operate the university’s plane which is used for various university functions, including athletics recruiting trips.