Cessna 172K accident near Mora, Minnesota, June 17, 1988
On June 17, 1988 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N7499G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mora, Minnesota. 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
- June 17, 1988 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Mora, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N7499G · no longer on the register · serial 17259199
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG FLT, ONE OF THE PLTS DEMONSTRATED A NEGATIVE 'G' MANEUVER BY ENTERING A CLIMB, THEN MAKING A 'PUSH OVER' TO A DESCENT. HE THROTTLED BACK ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE MANEUVER TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED. WHEN THE THROTTLE WAS READVANCED, THERE WAS NO ENG RESPONSE. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES WERE INITIATED, BUT THE ENG WOULD NOT RESTART. SUBSEQUENTLY, A NIGHT LANDING WAS MADE IN A WOODED AREA & THE ACFT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED. LITTLE FUEL WAS FOUND REMAINING IN THE ACFT, BUT FUEL HAD DRAINED FROM THE FUEL SYSTEM AFTER THE ACDNT. DURING A CHECK OF THE MAGNETOS, ONE PROVIDED NO SPARK & THE OTHER PROVIDED ONLY A WEAK SPARK. THE MAGNETOS WERE DISASSEMBLED; BOTH WERE FOUND TO HAVE LOOSE DISTRIBUTOR BLOCKS. ALSO, LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON HAD BUILT UP IN BOTH MAGNETO CASES, ALTHOUGH NO TRACE OF CARBON ARCING WAS FOUND.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,362 hours in all; 123 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,050 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 22, 1987; 134 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Moon/Wolf Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: 19D Mora MN
- Destination: 19D
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.