Cessna 152 accident near Parkland, Florida, January 2, 1988
On January 2, 1988 at about 1:04 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N24480, was destroyed in an accident near Parkland, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- January 2, 1988 · about 1:04 pm local time
- Place
- Parkland, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N24480 · registry record · serial 15280277
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT WAS SEEN DESCENDING IN A NEAR VERTICAL DIVE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WITH NO ROTATION ALONG THE ROLL AXIS. THE ACFT CRASHED NOSE FIRST INTO A NEWLY PLANTED CORN FIELD. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT STRUCTURE, FLIGHT CONTROLS, AND ENGINE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRECRASH MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PILOT HAD EXPERIENCED MEDICAL PROBLEMS WITH CANCER; HIS BROTHER HAD DIED FROM CANCER; HIS FATHER HAD DIED THREE MONTHS BEFORE; AND HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW, WHOM HE WAS CLOSE TO, RECENTLY HAD A STROKE. THE PILOT'S WIFE INITIALLY STATED THAT SHE BELIEVED THE PILOT HAD INTENTIONALLY KILLED HIMSELF. THE PILOT WAS ON AN UNSUPERVISED SOLO BUT HAD NOT BEEN CLEARED OUT OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS 11 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. THE MEDICAL EXAMINER RULED THE MANNER OF DEATH AS SUICIDE.
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: student
- Flight time: 44 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,201 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 15, 1987; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Am. Avia. Trn. Ent., INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Ft. Lauderdale FL at 12:18 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:47 pm from FXE, 10 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.
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.