Cessna 172E accident near Floweree, Mississippi, August 13, 1988
On August 13, 1988 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172E, registered N5555T, was destroyed in an accident near Floweree, Mississippi. 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
- August 13, 1988 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Floweree, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N5555T · registry record · serial 172-51455
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT DEPARTED EARLY IN THE MORNING AND WAS NOT FOUND UNTIL THE NEXT AFTERNOON. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A 50 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ANGLE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WITH EVIDENCE OF AIRCRAFT ROTATION AROUND THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS. A TOXICOLOGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF A THERAPEUTIC LEVEL, 0.2 UG/ML OF DIAZEPAM, (VALIUM) IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD. IN ADDITION 56 NG/ML OF MARIJUANA METABOLITE WERE FOUND IN THE URINE AND 27 NG/ML OF 9-CARBOXY-THC, THE PRINCIPAL METABOLITE OF TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL WHICH IS THE PRINCIPAL PSYCHOACTIVE CONSTITUENT OF MARIJUANA, WERE FOUND IN THE PILOTS BLOOD. THE DETECTED CONCENTRATION OF MARIJUANA METABOLITE IN BLOOD IS ASSOCIATED WITH MARIJUANA USE WITHIN THE PRIOR HALF DAY; AND THE COMBINATION OF VALIUM AND RECENT MARIJUANA USE MAY RESULT IN AN ADDITIVE EXTENT OF IMPAIRMENT.
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: 62 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 2 in the last 30 days; 33 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,711 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 1988; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VKS Vicksburg MS at 1:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from JAN, 41 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.