Cessna 150G accident near Muscle Shoals, Alabama, March 24, 1988
On March 24, 1988 at about 10:42 pm local time, a Cessna 150G, registered N2738S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Muscle Shoals airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- March 24, 1988 · about 10:42 pm local time
- Place
- Muscle Shoals, Alabama · Muscle Shoals · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N2738S · no longer on the register · serial 15066638
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER DURING THE LOCAL, SOLO FLT. THE STUDENT ELECTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LDG AT MUSCLE SHOALS ARPT (MSL) WHICH WAS THE NEAREST ARPT. HE MADE TWO ATTEMPTS TO LAND ON RWY 36, WITH A 12-20 KT TAILWIND: ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT, HE WAS UNABLE TO PUT THE AIRPLANE ON THE RWY AND HE EXECUTED A GO-AROUND. ON THE SECOND ATTEMPT, HE LANDED; THE AIRPLANE OVERRAN THE 4,000 FT RWY AND NOSED OVER. THE STUDENT RPTD THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE ARPT WINDSOCK PRIOR TO LDG. THE WINDSOCK IS LOCATED AT ABOUT MIDFIELD, ACCORDING TO ARPT LAYOUT DIAGRAMS. POST-CRASH EXAM OF THE AIRPLANE BY A MECHANIC REVEALED THAT THE ALTERNATOR FIELD WIRE HAD BROKEN AT THE FIELD TERMINAL, WHICH DISABLED THE ALTERNATOR AND SUBSEQUENTLY LED TO A DISCHARGED BATTERY. THE STUDENT HAD ONLY ABOUT 1 HR SOLO FLT EXPERIENCE. HE HAD PREVIOUSLY LANDED AT MSL, DURING A DUAL-INSTRUCTIONAL FLT ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 14 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,829 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 20, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M22 Russellville AL at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:49 pm from MSL
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.