Cessna 195A accident near Memphis, Tennessee, July 3, 1988
On July 3, 1988 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 195A, registered N1576D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were 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
- July 3, 1988 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · Memphis International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195A · all 195As on the register
- Registration
- N1576D · registry record · serial 7798
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE LEFT WHEEL SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE DURING LDG ROLLOUT ON RWY 27, ALLOWING THE LEFT GEAR TO DRAG ON THE RWY. THE AIRPLANE THEN BOUNCED, VEERED TO THE RIGHT, AND SKIDDED TO A STOP. THE LEFT LDG GEAR COLLAPSED AS THE ACFT STOPPED. THE PLT SAID THAT THE LDG WAS NOT HARD AND THAT THE WINDS WERE LIGHT & VARIABLE. EXAMINATION OF THE LEFT LDG GEAR REVEALED THAT THE AXLE SPINDLE HAD FRACTURED AND SEPARATED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED OVERSTRESS FRACTURES AND EVIDENCE OF EXCESSIVE SIDELOADS. THE AIRPLANE ALSO SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING TIP, AILERON, THE LEFT HORIZ STAB AND ELEVATOR. THE ARPT WINDS WERE REPORTED FROM 360 DEG AT 6 KTS, A FEW MINUTES AFTER 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 1988; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-755-B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BNA Nashville TN at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 8,936 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:04 pm from MEM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.