Piper PA-22-150 accident near Fort Worth, Texas, February 21, 1988
On February 21, 1988 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N3524P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas. 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
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
- February 21, 1988 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3524P · registry record · serial 2203279
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT WAS CRUISING AT 2,000 FT MSL WHEN THE ENG LOST PWR. THE STUDENT PLT CHANGED FUEL TANKS AND THE ENGINE REGAINED PWR FOR ABOUT 20 SEC THEN AGAIN LOST PWR. DURING THE FORCED LANDING THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE AND NOSED OVER. EXAMINATION OF THE ENG BY AN FAA INSPECTOR REVEALED THAT THE CARBURETOR FLOAT, WHICH WAS MADE OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL, RUBBED AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE CARB BOWL AND FUEL TO THE ENG WAS CUT OFF.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,347 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,981 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1987; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,840 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F78 Weatherford TX at 4:30 pm
- Destination: 52F Roanoke TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from FTW, 10 miles away
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.