Cessna 172K accident near Lake City, Florida, May 25, 1988
On May 25, 1988 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N736VS, was destroyed in an accident near Lake City, Florida (Brothers Welcome airport). 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
- May 25, 1988 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lake City, Florida · Brothers Welcome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N736VS · no longer on the register · serial R1722827
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT, WHILE ON A LOCAL FLIGHT, STRUCK A TELEPHONE TRANSMISSION LINE ON THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 1. WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY SAW THE ACFT TAKEOFF TO THE WEST AND MAKE A RIGHT TURN AND GO OUT OF SIGHT. APRX THREE TO FIVE MINUTES LATER, THEY HEARD THE ACFT CRASH. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A HIGHER WIRE THAT WAS MARKED WITH RED BALLS, WAS REMOVED BY THE POWER COMPANY THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, AND THE LOWER WIRE THAT WAS STRUCK BY THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN REMOVED SOON AFTER THE UPPER WIRE. TOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES PERFORMED ON THE PILOT BY THE OFFICE OF THE MEDICAL EXAMINER IN JACKSONVILLE, FL INDICATED A BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 130 MG/DL. THE HARRIS MEDICAL LABORATORY OF FORT WORTH, TX REVEALED A BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 286 MG/DL AND A URINE ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 289 MG/DL. ACCORDING TO TIRE TRACKS FOUND AT THE SCENE, THE ACFT TAXIED UNDER THE REMAINING WIRE BEFORE TAKING OFF TO THE WEST.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,853 hours in all; 66 in the last 90 days; 1,850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 616 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 1987; 108 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 3,449 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 15 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from GNV, 40 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.