Piper PA-28-140 accident near Denton, Texas, May 29, 1988
On May 29, 1988 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N98088, was destroyed in an accident near Denton, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- May 29, 1988 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Denton, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N98088 · no longer on the register · serial 28-26035
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR WAS SIMULATING AN ENGINE-OUT EMERGENCY FOR THE DUAL STUDENT. THE STUDENT WAS MAKING AN APPROACH TO AN EMERGENCY FIELD WITH A LINE OF TREES ON THE APPROACH END. WHEN THE INSTRUCTOR BECAME AWARE THAT THEY MIGHT NOT REACH THE FIELD, HE DIRECTED THE STUDENT TO FLY TOWARDS A GAP IN THE TREES FOR MORE CLEARANCE. JUST BEFORE INITIATING A GO-AROUND, THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED AND COLLIDED WITH POWERLINES IN THE GAP. THE FLIGHTCREW HAD NOT CORRECTLY ASSESSED THE LOCATION OF THE TREES.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 22,000 hours in all; 5,500 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 11,160 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from FTW, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.