Cessna 172N accident near Kissimmee, Florida, February 24, 1988
On February 24, 1988 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5211E, was destroyed in an accident near Kissimmee, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- February 24, 1988 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kissimmee, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5211E · no longer on the register · serial 17271771
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED AT ABOUT 2000 FT SW BOUND & THE SOUND OF THE ENG COULD BE HEARD. THE ACFT WAS NEXT OBSERVED ABOUT A MINUTE LATER INBOUND AT ABOUT 50 FT & ENG SOUND COULD BE HEARD. THE WITNESS HEARD A 'POOF' SOUND & THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED INVERTED. THE WITNESS SAID HE DID NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT AS HE OBSERVED SOME MOBILE HOMES IN THE AREA & ASSUMED IF THERE HAD BEEN AN ACCIDENT, THE RESIDENTS WOULD HAVE REPORTED IT. THE WRECKAGE OF THE INVERTED ACFT WAS DISCOVERED IN THE REMOTE AREA THE NEXT MORNING. THE CFI & HIS STUDENT HAD BEEN KILLED ON IMPACT. THE ACFT HAD STRUCK SOME 40 FT PINE TREES WITH THE LEFT WING WHILE ON INITIAL CLIMB FROM A COW PASTURE THEN ROLLED INVERTED. THE TREES ARE ON THE N SIDE OF THE PASTURE & THE WINDS WERE NRTHLY AT THE TIME. THE MOBILE HOMES WERE HUNTING CABINS & WERE VACANT AT THE TIME. THE OWNER OF THE ACFT STATED THE TRNG FLT WAS TO INCLUDE FORCED LDG PRACTICE.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 900 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,498 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 23, 1987; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Florida Air Center, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ISM Kissimmee FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,300 ft; scat at 900 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from MCO, 24 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.