Cessna 172M accident near Hope, Arkansas, March 31, 1988
On March 31, 1988 at about 1:29 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N6534H, was destroyed in an accident near Hope, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- March 31, 1988 · about 1:29 am local time
- Place
- Hope, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N6534H · no longer on the register · serial 17265478
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT INITIATED THE FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER AFTER BEING ADVISED DURING A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. ABOUT 40 MINUTES BEFORE THE CRASH, HE CALLED EL DORADO (ARKANSAS) RADIO AND REQUESTED THEIR WEATHER FROM A POSITION REPORTEDLY IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES IN THE VICINITY OF THE CRASH SITE REPORTED THAT IT WAS A DARK NIGHT LOW CEILING PREVAILING.
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: 232 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 165 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,735 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1987; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RVS Tulsa OK
- Destination: HEZ Natchez MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.