Cessna 152 accident near Columbia, Illinois, February 6, 1988
On February 6, 1988 at about 5:25 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5450Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbia, Illinois. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S MISJUDGED FLARE AND HIS FAILURE TO ATTAIN A PROPER DESCENT RATE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 6, 1988 · about 5:25 pm local time
- Place
- Columbia, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N5450Q · registry record · serial 15285112
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRPLANE DESCENDED BELOW THE TREE LINE AND STRUCK A WIRE WHILE DOING A POWER RECOVERY FROM A PRACTICE FORCED LANDING DEMONSTRATION DURING INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABLE TO REMAIN AIRBORNE AND WAS FLOWN BACK TO THE AIRPORT OF ORIGIN WHERE DAMAGE WAS DISCOVERED DURING A POST FLIGHT INSPECTION. CFII, WHO WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE, STATED HE DID NOT SEE THE WIRES UNTIL JUST BEFORE IMPACT.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 707 hours in all; 479 in this make and model; 113 in the last 90 days; 605 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,391 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CPS St Louis IL at 4:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.