Cessna 402C accident near Prescott, Arizona, August 25, 1988
On August 25, 1988 at about 3:53 pm local time, a Cessna 402C, registered N5715C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prescott, Arizona (Prescott airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 9 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
- August 25, 1988 · about 3:53 pm local time
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · Prescott
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N5715C · no longer on the register · serial 5715C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE TAXIING, IN ORDER TO CLEAR A PARKED AIRPLANE TO THE RIGHT, THE PILOT MANEUVERED THE AIRPLANE LEFT OF THE CENTERLINE. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TRAVELED OFF THE ASPHALT. THE AIRPLANE PIVOTED 90 DEGREES FROM THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL COLLAPSING THE LANDING GEAR. MEASUREMENTS OF THE TAXIWAY AND THE WINGSPAN OF THE AIRPLANE, REVEALED THAT THE PILOT HAD TO MANEUVER MORE THAT 3 FT BUT LESS THAN 7 FT LEFT OF THE CENTERLINE IN ORDER TO CLEAR THE AIRPLANE ON THE RIGHT AND TO REMAIN ON THE TAXIWAY.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 268 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 2,540 as pilot in command; 1,700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,850 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-VB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: PHX Phoenix AZ
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N5715C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.