Cessna 152 accident near Vandalia, Illinois, November 8, 1988
On November 8, 1988 at about 1:10 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N93085, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vandalia, Illinois (Vandalia airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 1988 · about 1:10 am local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Vandalia, Illinois · Vandalia · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N93085 · registry record · serial 15285396
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENG BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH APRX 5 MIN AFTER THE PLT TOOK OFF FROM AN EN ROUTE ARPT DRG A NIGHT, X-COUNTRY TRAINING FLT. HE REVERSED COURSE BACK TOWARD THE DEPARTURE ARPT WITH THE ENG PROVIDING PARTIAL POWER. WHILE MANEUVERING TO LAND ON RWY 18, THE ENG CEASED PROVIDING POWER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A PLOWED FIELD APRX 1/4 MI FROM THE ARPT. DRG THE LANDING, THE NOSE GEAR DUG INTO SOFT TERRAIN & THE ACFT NOSED OVER. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THE HOLD DOWN BOLTS FOR THE #3 CYLINDER HAD BROKEN & THE CYLINDER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE CRANK CASE.
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: 156 hours in all; 109 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 102 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,669 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, October 23, 1988; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VLA Vandalia IL
- Destination: CPS Cahokia MO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from STL, 60 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N93085 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 152 1,636 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Vandalia Municipal · nearest airport
- St. Louis Downtown Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,117 since 1982 · 250 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,055 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI89DEV01.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.