Cessna 177 accident near Greensboro, North Carolina, October 8, 1988
On October 8, 1988 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N29550, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greensboro, North Carolina (Southeast Greensboro airport). It was a personal 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
- October 8, 1988 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Greensboro, North Carolina · Southeast Greensboro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N29550 · no longer on the register · serial 17700958
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD LANDED AT SOUTHEAST GREENSBORO EARLIER. HE DEPARTED ON RWY 35 AND REMAINED IN CLOSED TRAFFIC FOR LANDING. THE TD WAS MADE IN THE FIRST 100 FEET OF THE DOWNSLOPED RWY AT ABOUT 70 MPH. THE FLAPS WERE RETRACTED AND THE PLT REPTD THAT A GUST OF WIND AND THE DOWNSLOPED RWY CAUSED HIM TO BECOME AIRBORNE. CONTROL INPUTS TO CORRECT THE DRIFT WERE INEFFECTIVE. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A PINE TREE THAT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 50 FEET FROM THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY. THE US GOVT FLT INFO PUBLICATION FOR THE SOUTHEAST INDICATES THAT PRACTICE LANDINGS ARE NOT PERMITTED ON RWY 35. THE NEAREST WX REPORTING FACILITY WAS LOCATED 15 NW OF THE ARPT. THEIR RECORDED WIND 10 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCD WAS OUT OF 220 DEGREES AT 2 KNOTS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 553 hours in all; 323 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 319 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,825 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 1988; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,063 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.