Cessna 172 accident near Healy, Alaska, June 30, 1988
On June 30, 1988, a Cessna 172, registered N739QH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Healy, Alaska (Private Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 1988
- Place
- Healy, Alaska · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N739QH · registry record · serial 17270717
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL PILOT/FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT A PRIVATE TURF AIRSTRIP WHEN SHE REPORTEDLY ENCOUNTERED THE OUTFLOW FROM A THUNDERSTORM LOCATED ABOUT ONE MILE AWAY. SHE ELECTED TO CONTINUE WITH THE LANDING AND TOUCHED DOWN WITH A GREATER THAN DESIRED GROUND SPEED. THE AIRPLANE WAS STILL DECELERATING AT THE FAR END OF THE STRIP WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED A MUD HOLE AND NOSED-OVER.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 527 hours in all; 347 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days; 354 as pilot in command; 51 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,838 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 4, 1987; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 15 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.