Cessna 172N accident near Vero Beach, Florida, April 10, 1988
On April 10, 1988 at about 7:18 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6283F, was destroyed in an accident near Vero Beach, Florida (New Hibiscus airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- April 10, 1988 · about 7:18 pm local time
- Place
- Vero Beach, Florida · New Hibiscus · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6283F · no longer on the register · serial 17273179
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO TOUCH DOWN ON RWY 36 WITH FULL FLAPS ON THE GRASS STRIP BORDERED ON BOTH SIDES BY CITRUS GROVES, SURFACE WINDS IN THE AREA WERE 120 DEGS AT 11 KTS. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO DRIFT TO THE LEFT OFF THE RWY TOWARD THE GROVE. THE PLT WITNESSES STATED THAT FULL POWER WAS APPLIED & WITH FULL FLAPS STILL EXTENDED, A GO ARND WAS ATTEMPTED WITH THE NOSE IN AN EXTREME NOSE HI ATTITUDE. THE LT WING STRUCK THE TREES & THE ACFT PASSED OVER THE 225 FT WIDE GROVE, A CANAL, ROAD, & POWERLINES BEFORE CRASHING INTO A 40 FT HIGH PINE TREE WITH FULL FLAPS STILL EXTENDED & STILL IN AN EXTREME NOSE HI ATTITUDE. THE PLT OPERATING HANDBOOK FOR THE ACFT STATES 'FLAP DEFLECTIONS GREATER THAN 10 DEGREES ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TAKE OFF.' THE PILOT LATER SAID HE HAD NO RECOLLECTION OF THE FLT OR ACCIDENT. THE PLT-RATED PAX SEATED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT SUSTAINED SEVERE HEAD INJURIES AND WAS NOT WEARING HIS SHOULDER HARNESS.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 109 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 60 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,137 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 18, 1988; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Citrus Grove Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: OCF Ocala FL at 6:00 pm
- Destination: X52 Vero Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,300 ft by 160 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from VRB, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.