Cessna 188 accident near Garfield, Georgia, July 10, 1988
On July 10, 1988 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Cessna 188, registered N3525Q, was destroyed in an accident near Garfield, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- July 10, 1988 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Garfield, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N3525Q · no longer on the register · serial 188 0475
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FOLLOWING MINOR ENGINE MAINTENANCE, THE PLT/MECHANIC MADE THE TEST FLIGHT. THE ENGINE COWLING WAS NOT INSTALLED PRIOR TO THE FLT. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE ACFT WHEELS TOUCHED THE WATER OF A NEARBY POND FOLLOWED BY A SHARP PULL-UP INTO THE PLT'S CUSTOMARY 'LOOP' PRIOR TO LANDING. THE ACFT DID NOT COMPLETE THE LOOP AND IMPACTED THE GROUND AT A 75 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PLT'S BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL RECORDED BY THE HARRIS MEDICAL LAB IN FORT WORTH, TX WAS 176 MG/DL. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF SEVERE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, ITS RELEVANCE TO THE ACCIDENT COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 6,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,672 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 1988; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Garfield GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 99°F (37°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.